ii 



THE 



FAMILY COMPANION: 

|,o « __ * w I 

A BOOK OF SERMONS 

ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, 

BOTH 

DOCTRINAL AND PRACTICAL. 

INTENDED FOR THE PRIVATE EDIFICATION AND COMPOST OF THE DISCI 
PLES OF CHRIST, AND TO AID THE HONEST INQUIRER AFTER TRUTH 
IN FINDING THE TREE CHURCH, AND THE EAW OF INDUC- 
TION INTO THE SAME; ETC., ETC., ETC. 

By ELIJAH GOODWIN. 

— rrv?- 



Oh that my words were now written ; / / 

Oh that they were Drinterl ™ n . kaav t~„ * 9 



Oh that they were printed in a book.— Job. 



CINCINNATI: 

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY 

MOORE WILSTACH,KEYS & OVERKND. 
1 8 5 6 - 






TMK 



Ll»fc** Y \ 



lwA»HlWOTOWj 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 

ELIJAH GOODWIN, 

in the Clerk's office of the District Court of Indiana. 



Stereotyped and Printed by 
WILLIAM OVEREND&CO. 

CINCINNATI. 



CONTENTS. 



SERMON I . 



THE NEW CHURCH. 



He is our peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the 
middle wall of partition between us. Eph. ii, 14 13 



SERMON II. 

THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND HE, THE HEAD. 

And he is the head of the body, the church. Col. i, 18 ,. 37 

SERMON III. 

THIS SECT. 

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest, for as concerning 
this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against. Acts 
xxviii, 22 5$ 

SERMON IV. 

THE NAME CHRISTIAN. 

And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts xi, 26. 81 

iii 



IV CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

SERMON V . 

CONVERSION". 

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their cars are dull of 
hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they 
should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should 
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should 
heal them. Matt, xiii, 15 107 



SERMON VI. 

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. v, 1 133 

SERMON VII. 

SANCTIFICATION. 

For this is the will of God, even your sanctincation, 1 Thess, iv, 3, 170 
SERMON VIII, 

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, 

The spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things, of God. 1 Cor. 
ii, 10 190 

SERMON IX. 

' ELECTION. 

Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through 
sanctincation of the spirit, unto obedience, and sprinkling of the 
blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. i, 1, 2 219 



CONTENTS. 



SERMON X . 



Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. Acts 
ii, 38 252 



SERMON XI. 

WHAT SHALL I DO "? 

And when he had gone forth into the way, there came one running, 
and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master what shall I do 
that I may inherit eternal life? Mark x, 17 301 



SERMON XII. 

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation ? Heb. i, 14... 318 



SERMON XIII. 

THE CHRISTIAN" WARFARE, AND THE MLND OF CHRIST. 

Forasmuch, then, as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm 
yourselves likewise with the same mind. 1 Pet. iv, 1 343 

SERMON XIV. 

THE GRACE OF GOD* 

Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom that can not be moved, let us have 
grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and 
godly fear. Heb. xii, 28 359 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

SERMON XV. 

WORDS. 

For the ear trietli words, as the mouth tasteth meats. Job xxxiv, 3. 377 
S E R M N XVI. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of 
them that slept; for since by man came death, by man came also 
the resurrection of the dead. I Cor. xv 20 21 394 



PREFACE. 



In matters of religion, a man should be able to give a reason 
for every act which he performs ; and that reason should be such 
as would stand the test when brought before the tribunal of his 
own heart and conscience, enlightened by the word of God, and 
in view of the judgment-seat of Christ. Such are the reasons 
I have for publishing this little volume of religious discourses. 

? Tis true, the world is full of books, and they are daily 
increasing in number; but it should be remembered that the 
population of our very extensive country is also rapidly increas- 
ing, and a taste for reading is constantly becoming more general 
among all classes. Then, books of the right character and spirit 
should be multiplied in proportion. 

Again : A very small part of the book-making talent of the 
community is consecrated to the production of religious books. 
We have many new books on the arts and sciences, on history, 
travels, etc., all good in their place; and many of a much less 
substantial character, intended to amuse ; but how few of the 
productions which are daily pouring forth from the press are 
(vii) 



yiii PREFACE. 

devoted to the conversion, justification, and sanctification of our 
fallen race ! 

And even much that is published in book form, on the great 
subject of Christianity, is devoted to the special interests of 
some religious party or sect, and is, therefore, so cramped and 
hemmed in on every side, by the creed ©f the author, that they 
fail to meet the holy desires and immortal cravings of a mind 
untrammeled by party feeling and human shackles, which stands 
out in the blaze of gospel day, enjoying the full-orbed light of 
God's eternal truth. Such minds desire books full of ideas 
drawn directly from the great source of all religious truth — 
the Bible. 

Such have I aimed to make this little book. It is devoted to 
the organization of the Church of God, the conversion and sanc- 
tification of man to the Lord, and to the formation and practice 
of a holy life. And, although I have learned much from others, 
and therefore am debtor to other minds for many important 
thoughts herein published, yet I have written as the Lord's free- 
man. No human laws, or ecclesiastical canons, were held over 
me while writing. I have only regarded the word of God, in 
determining what is truth. Hence, no one is accountable for 
the thoughts and principles set forth in the following pages but 
myself. 

I have endeavored to make this a welcome and useful com- 
panion in every family. The person who is anxiously seeking a 
knowledge of the gospel doctrine of conversion, justification and 
sanctification, will here find much useful information, in few 
words, on those subjects. If he is disposed to ask the solemn 
question, " What must I do to be saved? " he will here find an 
answer applicable to every condition that can be imagined, all 
illustrated by New Testament examples. The reader will also 



PREFACE. IX 

find many useful suggestions in this little volume on the subject 
of the Church, its Author, its origin, its Head, its laws and 
ordinances, etc.; also, on holy living, purity of heart and life, etc. 

Another reason which induced me to write and publish this 
work, was the fact that, on account of laryngetis, contracted by 
exposure and much preaching, I was compelled to partially sus- 
pend public speaking during the present winter. Still being 
anxious to labor, as far as I could, in the cause of G-od and 
humanity, I resolved to prepare and publish this volume, desir- 
ing it to supply, in part, the place of my personal presence. I 
have written these discourses as nearly in the style in which I 
usually deliver my public addresses, as possible, and have endeav- 
ored to embrace in them all the leading ideas that I usually set 
forth when preaching on those themes ; believing that if a person 
is benefited by hearing a religious discourse, on any leading topic 
connected with our holy religion, he may also be benefited by 
reading the same ; and if one person may be thus profited, many 
may be. 

My object is, (the Lord knows my heart), to do good. I have 
spent most of my life, since I was sixteen years old, in the ser- 
vice of the Church, and in preaching the gospel ; and, although 
I have been a very weak instrument, I have some reason to 
believe that my labor has not been altogether in vain in the 
Lord. I love the cause of Xew Testament Christianity as sin- 
cerely as I ever did, and I feel as deeply concerned for the con- 
version of the world, and for the peace, harmony and purity of 
the Church of God, as I ever did; and am as willing to labor 
for my Divine Master as I ever was. But human life is short; 
" death at the farthest can't be far ;" my days are swiftly pass- 
ing away ; my time of active service in the cause of Christ will 
soon close. I wish, therefore, to leave these discourses in a 



X . PREFACE. 

permanent form, so that, when dead, I may still speak to the 
living on the great subject of human salvation. 

And now, may the great Head of the Church preside over the 
destinies of this little Family Companion, and make it a bless- 
ing to all into whose hands it may fall, is the sincere prayer of 

THE AUTHOK. 

Bloomington, Ind., January, 1856. 



TO THE EEADEE. 



You have in your hand, dear reader, a little book written by 
an bumble man, of very humble pretensions, intended to do you 
good. It is composed in a very plain style, that it may be 
understood by all ; for, to be useful, it must be understood. 

The subjects discussed in the following pages are familiar ; 
still, they are no better understood than they ought to be, and 
common though they be, they pertain to our interests in two 
worlds ; they refer to things invisible and eternal, and, therefore, 
should never grow old. 

A few of these discourses have been published before, in the 
Christian Record ; but they appeared in small parcels, in differ- 
ent numbers, so that it requires much pains to hunt them up and 
read them in connection. And then, but few persons get their 
pamphlets bound, and hence, the discourses that were published 
in that work remain in but few hands. Here they are collected 
together, and put in a permanent form for preservation. The 
sermons on the work of the Holy Spirit, and election, were writ- 
ten out as preached, by special request ; and hence they appear 
in the form of public addresses made to an audience. 

You will find some subjects treated of in this series of dis- 
courses, about which there has been much controversy in the 
religious world. In the investigation of these themes, I have 
endeavored to use great plainness of speech, mingled with much 
kindness and Christian love. I have written nothing that I do 
not most conscientiously believe to be true ; nor have I omitted 

(xi) 



PREFACE. 

permanent form, so that, "when dead, I may still speak to the 
living on the great subject of human salvation. 

And now, may the great Head of the. Church preside over the 
destinies of this little Family Companion, and make it a bless- 
ing to all into whose hands it may fall, is the sincere prayer of 

THE AUTHOR. 

Bloomington, Ind., January, 1856. 



TO THE READER- 



You have in your hand, dear reader, a little book written by 
an humble man, of very humble pretensions, intended to do you 
good. It is composed in a very plain style, that it may be 
understood by ail ; for, to be useful, it must be understood. 

The subjects discussed in the following pages are familiar ; 
still, they are no better understood than they ought to be, and 
common though they be, they pertain to our interests in two 
worlds.; they refer to things invisible and eternal, and, therefore, 
should never grow old. 

A few of these discourses have been published before, in the 
Christian Record ; but they appeared in small parcels, in differ- 
ent numbers, so that it requires much pains to hunt them up and 
read them in connection. And then, but few persons get their 
pamphlets bound, and hence, the discourses that were published 
in that work remain in but few hands. Here they are collected 
together, and put in a permanent form for preservation. The 
sermons on the work of the Holy Spirit, and election, were writ- 
ten out as preached, by special request ; and hence they appear 
in the form of public addresses made to an audience. 

You will find some subjects treated of in this series of dis- 
courses, about which there has been much controversy in the 
religious world. In the investigation of these themes, I have 
endeavored to use great plainness of speech, mingled with much 
kindness and Christian love. I have written nothing that I do 
not most conscientiously believe to be true ; nor have I omitted 

(xi) 



XI I TO THE READER. 

anything that I believed to be Bible truth, for the purpose of 
adding popularity to the work. 

In these discourses, you find us often going to Jerusalem, lin- 
gering about the City of the Great King ; often will you find us 
referring to the memorable Pentecost, calling up the eventful 
transaction of that deeply interesting day. But you will not 
think strange of this when you remember that Jesus said, after 
His resurrection: "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved 
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day ; and 
that repentance and remission of ' sins should be preached in His 
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke, 24, 
46,47). Eemember, reader — Beginning at Jerusalem. Here, 
then, we should always take our first lessons on the first princi- 
ples of Christianity. Hence, in these discourses, we have looked 
at the scenes of the day of Pentecost from different stand-points, 
and used them to illustrate different points in the Christian 
system. 

In conclusion, permit me, dear reader, to request you to peruse 
these discourses with an honest heart and an unprejudiced mind. 
Eemember, the Judge is at the door. If you find sentiments 
here that are new, or that are contrary to your former views, 
weigh them well in the balances of the sanctuary — the Holy 
Bible — before you either receive or reject them. Be honest, 
dear reader ; be honest with the author ; be honest with your 
Bible; be honest with your conscience; and, above all, be 
honest with your God ; and, again I say, BE HONEST. 



THE 



FAMILY COMPANION. 



SEEMON I. 

THE NEW CHURCH. 

He is our peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of 
partition between us. Eph. ii, 14. 

This text is only a part of a lengthy argument, em- 
ployed by the apostle, for the purpose of settling a very 
unpleasant controversy which was agitating the public 
mind at that time. This controversy had reference to the 
rights and privileges which should be granted to persons 
who had embraced Christianity from among the Gentiles. 
The Jewish believers opposed their reception into the 
church, and even went so far as to forbid the apostles " to 
speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved." Paul, 
being the apostle of the Gentiles, defends their rights; 
devoting a great portion of this epistle to that subject. 

In the first chapter he shows that, notwithstanding God 
had predestinated the seed of Abraham to the adoption 
of children by Jesus Christ, yet he had purposed " that in 
the dispensation of the fulness of times he would gather 
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in 
heaven and which are on earth, even in him." Thus show- 
ing that the original purpose of God was, finally, to unite 
all believers of all nations in one body. 

(13) 



14 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

In the second chapter he shows that the Jews have 
nothing to boast of above the Gentiles on account of good 
works. That, notwithstanding the Gentiles had " walked 
according to the course of this world, according to the 
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works 
in the children of disobedience," yet the Jews had had 
their behavior in the same way, " fulfilling the desires of 
the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature " (practice, 
second nature) " the children of wrath, even as others," as 
the Gentiles. 

He then announces the great truth, that the whole gos- 
pel plan of salvation was devised and put into operation 
on the principle of grace, so that all who are saved, whether 
Jew or Gentile, "are saved by grace, and not of works, 
lest any man should boast," thus showing that the Jews 
had no constitutional rights in the gospel kingdom which 
did not belong to the Gentiles on the same principles. 
Now, while prosecuting this argument, the apostle penned 
the text which I have selected as the theme of this dis- 
course : " He is our peace who hath made both one, and hath 
broken down the middle wall of partition between us" 

In the further investigation of the subject, we propose 
the following order: 

I. Show what is meant by this partition wall, and its 
designs. 

II. Speak of the breaking down of this wall, and the 
purposes for which it was broken down. 

III. Draw some practical conclusions. 

I. According to this order, I inquire, what is meant by 
this partition wall ? This the apostle explains in the fol- 
lowing verse, thus : " Having abolished in his flesh the 
enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordi- 
nances." Then, the law of Moses, with all its rites and 
ceremonies, is what is here called a partition wall Of 



THE NEW CHURCH. 15 

this law God was the author and finisher. He counseled 
with no intelligent being in the universe on the subject. 
He advised with no man or angel, as to what should or 
should not be law. He save it from the thick darkness that 
crowned the smoking summit of trembling Mount Sinai. 

But for what purpose was this law given ? what were its 
designs ? 

1. In order that man may be saved, he must have confi- 
dence in God. He must not only believe that " God is" 
but he must believe that " He is a rewarder of all who 
seek him diligently." Heb. ii, 6. Now, in order that man 
may have this confidence in the Lord, it was necessary that 
he show himself to be a covenant keeping God ; that all 
that he promises he will perform. Now, God had made 
promises to Abraham, saying, " in thy seed shall all the 

FAMILIES OF THE EARTH EE BLESSED." Gen. xii, 3 ; xxii, 

18. In order, then, to show to heaven and earth that God 
had kept this promise, it was necessary to keep the seed 
of Abraham separate from all other nations until the 
Messiah should come ; or, as Paul expresses it, " until the 
seed should come to whom the promise was made." Gal. 
iii, 19. Had not this been done, the seed of Abraham 
might have been lost in the ocean of human beings, and 
no man could ever have told whether the covenant was ful- 
filled or not. It might have been fulfilled to the letter, 
but the lineage being lost, the skeptic would always have 
had the advantage. Hence, in order to keep the posterity 
of Abraham separate from all other people, and thus to 
show to heaven and earth, that the Lord had kept his 
promise to the letter, he threw around the seed of Abra- 
ham through Isaac and Jacob, the law of commandments 
concerning ordinances, and by it fenced them in from all 
the nations of the earth. This, then, was the first design 
of that institution. 



16 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

2. But, in the second place, it was intended to hold that 
people in subjection; to govern them. 

The Jews are always spoken of as a stiff-necked and 
rebellious nation. They were constantly inclined to run 
away from God. Hence the Lord treated them as the 
husbandman treats his unruly stock ; he fenced them in. 
Hence the law is called a governor, under which the Jews 
were placed during their minority, until the time appointed 
of the Father, for them to be made free by the Son, that 
they might be free indeed, should come. 

Peter, using another figure, calls this law a yoke, which, 
he says, " neither they nor their fathers were able to bear," 
Acts xv, 10. By a yoke, he means law, government ; and 
thus shows that that partition wall was intended to hold the 
people in subjection to God. True, like unruly stock, they 
often broke over this w r all, and ran away from God ; but 
this does not disprove our last position in reference to the 
design of the law. 

3. In the third place, the law was intended to teach that 
people, and thus prepare them for the reception of the 
Messiah when he should come. 

The apostle says, " the law was (not is) our school-master 
to bring us to Christ," Gal. iii, 24. The Jewish nation was 
placed under the law as a tutor, to train, teach, and pre- 
pare that people, in heart and character, for the coming dis- 
pensation. In reasoning on this subject, the apostle said, 
" Now I say that the heir as long as he is a child, differeth 
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all ; but is 
under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the 
father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bond- 
age under the elements of the world," Gal. iv, 1, 2, 3. By 
this tutor, Paul means the law. 

And I may be permitted to say, that there never was a 
more competent teacher than was this law. No teacher 



THE NEW CHURCH. 17 

was ever better qualified to accomplish the ends contem- 
plated. That law, in all its rites and ceremonies, pointed 
to the gospel day; hence it is said, "the law had a shadow 
of good things to come." The loaves of the Divine pres- 
ence, very fitly prefigured the Lord's supper in the Christian 
church ; the golden altar and burning incense, were fit types 
of the spiritual devotion arising from hearts purified by 
grace under the reign of Christ ; their bleeding, expiring 
victims, that bled for remission under that law, prefigured 
the great atoning sacrifice which was offered in the end of 
the Jewish age to put away sin. Indeed, their very Tem- 
ple itself was a type of the Christian church, and every 
rite performed within its consecrated walls was intended to 
develop the mind, enlarge the views, direct the affections, 
and prepare the nation for the coming Messiah. 

It may be asked, if this teacher was so competent, why 
was the nation so poorly taught ? Why were they so poorly 
prepared to receive the Saviour when he came ? 

I answer: it is not every student that is put under a 
good and efficient teacher, that comes out an accomplished 
scholar. The student must be reconciled to the rules of 
the school; he must have some regard for his teacher; he 
must submit to the laws of the institution; and, above all, 
he must apply his mind to his studies. All these things 
the Jews failed to do. They fell out with their teacher ; 
they refused to submit to his authority; they would not 
apply their hearts to his instructions; they added their 
own views of propriety to his commandments, insomuch 
that the Lord said, when he came, they had "made void 
the law by their traditions" 

To this general charge, there were a few honorable 

exceptions ; and these were fully prepared to receive the 

Messiah. Good old Simeon was of this happy number. 

It is said of him, that he "was just, and devout, waiting 
o 



1 8 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

for the. consolation of Israel;" When Christ was circum- 
cised, he. "took him up in his arms and said, now Lord 
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ; for mine eyes 
hath seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before 
the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and 
the glory of thy people Israel," Luke ii, 28, 29. Simeon 
saw salvation in this child for all nations; he saw, in the 
Infant Saviour, light for the Gentiles, who had long been in 
darkness, and glory for the Israel of God. 

Now, the only principle upon which we can account for the 
striking difference between this good man and the great 
mass of the Jewish nation, is, that he studied his lessons; 
he obeyed his teacher.; he satisfied himself with the require- 
ments of the law, and was therefore prepared to enter the 
higher school, when the great Teacher, sent from God, 
appeared. And I fully believe, that if the whole nation 
had thus submitted to that school-master and governor, 
they would all have been as well prepared for the reign of 
Christ as was this good man. The fault was not in the 
teacher, but in .the students. 

II. I now pass to my second head of discourse, which is 
to speak of the breaking down of this wall of partition, and 
the designs for which it was broken down. 

This law stood in full force during the teaching of John 
the . Baptist, and of Christ and his disciples, until the 
Lord's death. All the reformation and obedience that 
John required, were to be performed according to that 
law. Christ himself lived under that law, and hence, when 
he healed a man of the leprosy, he told him to "show him- 
self to the Priest, and offer for his cleansing those things 
that Moses command," Mark i, 44. 

But when the great antitype, the atoning sacrifice expired, 
the law expired with him ; when he bowed his head and 
died, the partition wall fell. Then it was. that lie who is 



THE ; NEW. CHURCH. • 19 

our peace-offering, broke down the middle wall of partition, 
according to our text. Speaking in reference to tkis same 
matter, the Apostle says, he hath " blotted out the hand- 
writing of ordinances that was against us, which was con- 
trary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his 
cross, " Col. ii, 14. 

That this partition wall had now fallen, God signified by 
rending the vail of the temple, at the death of Christ. 
That vail separated the holy place from the most holy ; it 
concealed from public view the most holy place of the tem- 
ple, and might therefore be considered as an emblem of the 
partition wall between Jew and Gentile. But now the 
promised seed has come ; the substance of all the shadows 
under the law, is now manifested ; the Lamb of God, which 
had been slain in type from the foundation of the world, 
was now slain in fact; upon the cross on Calvary, he bows 
his head and dies, and the partition wall is leveled to the 
ground, and the vail of the temple is rent in two from top 
to bottom, as if God would say, we have no more need of 
thee : Christ has opened up a new and living way, through 
the vail of his flesh, into the holy place made without 
hands. 

But, under this head, I am also to point out some of the 
designs of our blessed Lord, in breaking this partition wall 
down. Though these may be many, I will only mention 
two in this discourse. 

1. The first design that I will notice, is spoken of in the 
context, thus ; " to make in himsele of twain, one new 

MAN." 

Now, by this -new man, the apostle means a new church, 
having reference to the Christian church under the gospel 
dispensation. This new church was to be composed of 
believers from every nation under heaven ; but this could 
not be while the partition wall between Jew and Gentile 



20 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

stood. Therefore, before he organized the new church — 
before he formed, of the two nations, one new man — he 
broke down the partition wall between them. Thus, we 
clearly perceive one of the main objects of the apostle in 
penning this text. The Jews, as stated in the introduction 
of this discourse, opposed the reception of the Gentiles into 
the church ; they argued that the law forbade it ; that that 
institution stood as a wall between them and all other 
nations; and, therefore, for them to unite with men of 
another nation in religious matters, would be to overleap 
God's partition wall. 

But, in answer to this, Paul speaks in the language of 
our text, saying ; " He is our peace who hath made both one, 
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between 
us ; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of 
commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in him- 
self of two, one new manP 

From this declaration, it is clear that Paul did not 
believe in the modern notion, that the Jewish church and 
the Christian church were one; that they were identical. 
He does not say, that he who is our peace has come ta 
reform the old Jewish church, and " enlarge its privileges 
somew T hat." But he declares, that his object was to make 
a new man ; a new ecclesiastical organization, the like of 
which never existed upon the earth before. 

John the Baptist, the Lord himself, and the disciples, all 
taught the same doctrine. John " preached in the wilder- 
ness of Judea, saying repent, for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand," Matt, iii, 2. Thus did he announce the near 
approach of a new kingdom, or church. " And when he 
saw many of the Pharisees and Saducees come to his bap- 
tism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath 
warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth 
therefore fruits meet for repentance, and think not to say 



THE NEW CHURCH. 21 

witliin yourselves, we have Abraham to our father; for I 
say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up 
children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto 
the root of the trees ; therefore every tree that bringeth 
not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire," 
Matt, iii, 7, 8, 9, 10. 

John saw that these persons expected to obtain a place lit 
the kingdom, or church of Christ, now approaching, by vir- 
tue of their relationship to Abraham. But he lets them 
know that, in that new organism, every man must stand 
upon his own faith and obedience ; that every tree, whether 
of the seed of Abraham or not, that docs not bring forth 
good fruit, shall be cast into the fire. 

The disciples also were commanded to " preach, saying 
the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt, x, 7. And 
Christ himself " preached the gospel of the kingdom of 
God, saying the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at 
hand, repent ye and believe the gospel," Mark i, 15 ; thus 
signifying the near approach of a new church, and the 
necessity of a personal preparation for a place in it. 

The Lord taught the same doctrine, both in parable and 
without a parable. On one occasion he said, " No man put- 
teth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which 
is put in to fill it up, taketh from the garment and the rent 
is made worse," Matt, ix, 16; thus intimating that he had 
not come to mend and patch up that old garment, or Jewish 
church ; but that he intended to make a new garment, an 
entirely new church. 

Again he said, " Neither do men put new wine into old 
bottles, else the bottles break and the wine runneth out, 
and the bottles perish ; but they put new wine into new 
bottles, and both are preserved," Matt, ix, 17. By this 
parable, the Lord teaches that he did not intend to pour 
the Holy Spirit, with all its quickening, sanctifying and 



22 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

miraculous power, into that old, mouldy, leathern bottle, or 
national church ; but that he was about to make a new ves- 
sel entirely — a new church — into which he would put the 
new wine of 'the kingdom, the Holy Spirit, with all its 
Divine influences. 

When Peter confessed the Lord, savins;, "Thou art the 
Christ, the son of the living God:" "Jesus answered and 
said unto him, blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona ; for flesh 
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father 
who is in heaven. And I say unto thee, that thou art 
Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it," Matt, xvi, 16, 
17. The reader will please notice, the Lord speaks of his 
church as not yet built ; he says, " 1 loill build my church" 
Of course, when built, it would not be the old church 
improved, but a new church altogether, called in the con- 
nection in which our text stands, a new man. 

Jesus taught the same doctrine, virtually, to ISicodemus. 
This man was a ruler of the Jews, and, of course, occupied 
a high place in that old national kingdom, or church. He 
seems to have been well convinced that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah for whom his nation had long been looking. Hence 
he "came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Eabbi, we 
know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man 
can do the miracles that thou doest, except God be with 
him." Now Jesus, no doubt perceiving the thoughts of 
his heart, said unto him, "Except a man be born again, he 
can not see the kingdom of God." 

This was a new doctrine to Nicodemus. It was not taught 
in the old covenant, on which the Jewish church stood, and 
therefore this officer in that church was filled with astonish- 
ment, when, for the first time, he heard it announced. The 
Saviour explains, by saying, " Except a man be born of 
water and of the spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom 



THE NEW CHURCH. 23 

of God," John iii, 3, 5. Thus the Lord teaches him, and 
us, and all the world, that he was about to set up a new 
kingdom, or church, so different from the old institution 
that its members had to be born over a^ain in order to 
obtain membership in the new church. Flesh and blood 
gave a title to membership in the old church ; but faith, 
that works by love and purifies the heart, gives a title 
to membership in the new. Natural birth and fleshly 
relationship give no privileges in the church of Christ. 

Though a person, applying for membership in this new 
church, might prove that his ancestry for ten generations 
back had all been pious members of the church, yet he can 
not be admitted, unless he believe in Jesus, the son of God. 
He can not come in on the faith of father or mother, or god- 
father or god-mother. And, on the other hand, if the per- 
son applying does believe in Christ with all his heart, and 
is willing to submit to his Divine authority, he may become 
a member, though his ancestry for ten generations may all 
have been Atheists. 

I will only name one other point of difference between 
these two organisms, and then close my remarks on this 
item. 

The prophet, speaking of those who should become mem- 
bers of this church according to the new covenant, says; 
" and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and 
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall 
all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of 
them, saith the Lord," Jer. xxxi, 34. Now, this could never 
be said in the old Jewish church. Persons were born into 
this church of their earthly parents, and therefore had to 
be taught to know the Lord afterward. Not so in the new 
church of which we speak ; in it all were to know the Lord ; 
they were to be taught first, and then to come in, being 
found worthy. Hence the Lord said to his disciples: "Go 



24 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the 
Father, and of the Son. and of the Holy Spirit," Matt. 
xxviii, 19. 

2. The second design that the Lord had in breaking down 
this ^partition wall, which I will notice, was to make peace. 
Paul says, "He abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the 
law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make 
in himself of twain one new man so making peace. " 

When the Lord appeared on earth, division and dissension 
prevailed everywhere. The Jews, within the bounds of the 
partition wall of which we have spoken, were much divided 
among themselves. There were the Pharisees and Sadu- 
cees, beside other minor sects among them. True, they had 
not carried their sectarianism quite so far as some professed 
Christians have done. They all worshiped in the same 
temple ; they offered their sacrifices at the same altar, and 
presented their gifts through the same priesthood ; they did 
not lock the doors of their synagogues against a brother 
Jew, because he belonged to a different sect. Still they 
were much divided. Every man knew to which party he 
belonged, and thus the peace of Zion was much disturbed. 
And then, outside of the precincts of Judaism, all was divi- 
sion. The Gentile world had multiplied their deities to 
over forty thousand. Every god and demi-god must have 
his altar and his priests, and these, by their teaching and 
mysteries, kept the people in everlasting contention. Such 
was the divided and distracted state of our world when the 
Star of Bethlehem appeared ; when the great peace-maker 
from the skies appeared in human form. He came to hush 
to silence warring elements — to say to the raging waves of 
the ocean of human passion, Peace, be still ; and to unite in 
one holy brotherhood those who had been long divided. 
Well might the angelic hosts sing, "Glory to God in the 
highest, on earth peace, and good will toivard men" 



THE NEW CHURCH. 25 

But it may be asked, If Christ came to make peace, why 
did he say that he came to send a sword ? Why did he say, 
"I am come to set a man at variance against his father, 
and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter- 
in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be 
they of his own household " ? Matt, x, 35, 36. Am I asked, 
how can this be reconciled with the idea that Christ came 
to make peace ? 

I admit that Christ did intend to draw one line of dis- 
tinction — to mark out one division line, long, and broad, 
and deep — one that should be seen and known of all men. 
This separation line was to be, " between them that serve 
the Lord and them that serve him not." ' (I fear that this 
line is not as distinctly seen in our day as the Lord 
intended it to be.) 

When the gospel was first proclaimed, some embraced it, 
while others rejected it ; the father would sometimes become 
a Christian, and the son would not ; the mother would em- 
brace the gospel, and the daughter would reject it, and 
thus the family would become divided, until a man's 
foes would indeed be those of his own household. And 
this division was more than nominal. The unbelieving 
party would even deliver up the believer, though it were a 
father or a son, unto death. To this state of things, doubt- 
less, the Saviour referred when he said he had come to 
make division. Still, his great object was to make peace, 
and to make it on holy terms. These terms of union were 
to be so well adapted to the ends proposed — namely, the 
union of all believers — that the manifold wisdom of God 
should be visible in them ; not only to men, but also to 
" principalities and powers in heavenly places," Eph., 
iii, 10. 

The apostle refers to these principles in the twentieth 
verse of the chapter in which our text stands. Speaking to 
3 



26 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

those who had become members of this sacred brotherhood, 
he says : " Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and 
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the 
household of God ; and are built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner-stone." 

Now, the constitution of any organized society is the 
foundation on which it stands. The constitution of the 
United States is the foundation on which this great sister- 
hood of States is builded ; the whole political building stands 
on this platform ; destroy the foundation, and the whole 
building must fall into a thousand fragments — or, to speak 
without a figure, the Union would be dissolved. (May so 
unhappy ail event never obtain !) Just so, the constitution 
of the church is the foundation on which it was organized, 
and on -which it was to stand while sun and moon endure. 

But wdiat is meant by the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets ? This must mean the teaching of these holy men 
of God, who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 
Christ is called the chief cornerstone because these apostles 
and prophets taught as he directed. The chief corner-stone, 
in a literal building, is first squared and laid — and the 
whole foundation is squared by it. So, all the teaching of 
these divinely inspired teachers of Christ was fitted, and 
squared, and dictated by the mind of Christ, as revealed by 
the Holy Spirit. 

Now, we have the teaching of these divinely-authorized 
witnesses of Christ, in the Bible, wdiich contains the Old 
and New Testaments. Thus we have found the constitu- 
tion on which that new church was formed. The Holy 
Scriptures, given by inspiration of God, was their only book 
of faith and religious manners. 

The apostle gives a compendium of this foundation of 
union and communion in the following words : " There is 



THE NEW CHURCH, 27 

one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope 
of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God 
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and 
in you all," Eph., iv, 4-6. These seven points embrace, 
in a compendious form, the great apostolic platform on 
which this new church is built or organized. All who 
acknowledged the one God and Father of all, and submitted 
to the one baptism, having the one faith, confessing the 
one Lord, came into the one body, and enjoyed the one 
spirit, and rejoiced in the one hope. 

What a beautiful arrangement was this. How well 
calculated to unite the good of all nations ! All national 
peculiarities were to be forgotten here ; here the Jew was 
to be reconciled to his fellow Jew — the Gentile to his 
fellow Gentile — and the Jew and Gentile to be reconciled 
to each other ; and on these divine principles to form the 
one body, and all in one body was to be reconciled to God 
by the cross of Christ, and thus peace was not only to be 
made on earth among men, but peace was to be established 
between heaven and earth, between Gocl and man. Halle- 
lujah ! praise you the Lord. 

But in every system there is one central idea — one fun- 
damental truth — which may be regarded as the soul of the 
system, and which generally gives name to it. The sun is 
the central body in the system of worlds to which we belong, 
and from that body of light the system receives its name — 
the solar system. 

The same is true in all systems of human government. 
The central idea in the constitution of the United States is 
expressed in these words: "All men are born free and 
equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 
rights." Now, the whole constitution is framed in refer- 
ence to this one great truth ; and all the national and State 
laws of the government must be in accordance therewith, 



28 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and designed to maintain to every citizen that freedom 
which this simple declaration expresses. 

So, in all ecclesiastical organisms ; each has its own 
central idea. In one, that central idea is government by 
the congregation, so that body is called Congregationalists. 
In another, the . central thought is government by the 
bishops, and the whole polity is organized accordingly, and 
the body is called Episcopalian — from episkopos, translated 
bishop, in the King's version of the Holy Scriptures. In a 
third, the central idea is government by the presbytery, or 
eldership, and so this body is called Presbyterians — from 
presbuteros, translated elder in the common version. 

Well, in the constitution of the new man, or church, which 
Christ built, there is also one central idea — one all-pervad- 
ing truth — which may be regarded as the soul of the 
system. That central idea or truth is, that Jesus of 
Nazareth is the Christ, the son of the living God. 

" When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, 
he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I 
the Son of Man am ? And they said, some say that thou 
art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or 
one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say 
ye that I am ? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou 
art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus 
answered and said unto him : Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
but my father who is in heaven. And I say unto thee, that 
thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt., 
xvi, 13-18. 

It is worthy of remark, that in this address to Peter, the 
Lord changes the gender. He says, Thou art Peter, Petros, 
(which is masculine) ; and on this rock, Petra, (which is 
feminine), I will build my church. Now, the Greek word 



THE NEW CHURCH. 29 

alrjdeca, aleethia, which means truth, is also feminine. This 
shows that Christ did not intend to build his church on 
Peter, but on the great truth which he had just confessed. 
This truth, then, is the central idea in the kingdom of 
Jesus Christ. And hence, the one Lord is placed, by the 
apostle, in the center of the apostolic platform, upon which 
the unity of the spirit is to be obtained and maintained. 
Eead the seven items again, in Eph. iv, 5, 6, 7. 

This truth is so interwoven with the whole revelation of 
God to man, that when it is believed, the whole system is 
believed with it. Hence the importance which is attached 
to this one article of faith, in the Holy Scriptures. When 
the Ethiopian desired to come into this sacred union, by 
baptism, " Philip said unto him, If thou believest with all 
thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I 
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Acts viii, 37. 
On this confession of faith, Philip baptized him, and he 
went on his way rejoiced. Why did not Philip ask him if he 
believed in the one God and father of all ? if he had the one 
faith ? if he believed in the one body ? or desired to enjoy 
the one spirit and one hope ? Because no one could con- 
sistently acknowledge the one Lord, and reject these other 
items in the great platform on which Christ came to make 
peace. 

Concerning those who had come into this bond of peace, 
Paul says : " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is 
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; 
for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. iii, 28. Again : 
" There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncir- 
cumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free ; but Christ 
is all, and in all." Col. iii, 11. 

Thus we have ascertained the principles upon which the 
Christian church was formed. But when was it organized ? 
When did it obtain a visible existence ? 



30 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

The materials for this new building were being prepared 
during the whole of Christ's ministry upon earth. Indeed, 
John the Baptist came to prepare the way for this new 
kingdom. All before the day of Pentecost was but the 
work of preparation ; but on that memorable day, the 
church received a visible form — or, to speak in modern 
style, it was organized. 

This fact gives to this day an unusual importance. On 
this important occasion, the first additions to this church, 
the new church, that ever obtained, were made. This may 
be regarded as the birth-day of the church of Jesus Christ. 
This is reason enough for any people desiring to stand on 
apostolic ground, to be often found referring to that day. 
If all the mighty reformers that have arisen in the last 
three hundred years had taken their first lessons from Pen- 
tecost, and remained longer in the school of the holy Twelve, 
the multiplied divisions which have marred the work of 
God, and defaced the glory of the church, could never have 
obtained. 

III. I now proceed to my third head of discourse, which 
is, to draw some practical conclusions from the facts which 
have been developed. 

1. My first conclusion, drawn from the premises now 
before me, is, that God never had two churches, diverse one 
from the other, at the same time. That many individual 
congregations were organized at different points, for the 
sake of convenience, in the days of the apostles, is true ; 
but these all belonged to the one body — they all had the 
same constitution and laws, namely, the teaching of the 
apostles and prophets of Christ, and that alone. This 
joined them all together, so that our conclusion remains 
true. The Lord did not organize two different churches, on 
different constitutions, to be called by different names, and 
governed by different laws, and both to stand at the same 






THE NEW CHURCH. 31 

time. He did not make the one new man while the old one 
lived. He did not organize the Christian church by the 
side of the Jewish, and tell the members to maintain their 
distinct and separate organizations, but still to Jove one 
another, and be as friendly as possible ! No, verily ! Before 
he organized the new church, he tore down the old one ; he 
took its constitution out of the way, nailing it to the cross, 
that all legal barriers to an entire union of all believers 
might be removed, and that all necessity for two separate 
church organizations might be done away. Thus did God 
show to heaven and earth that he intended to have but one 
church standing at the same time. 

2. My second conclusion is, that if ever God proposes to 
make a new church, he will give the constitution and enact 
all the laws for it, and appoint all its ordinances. 

I come to this conclusion from the fact that he always 
has done so. When he was about to organize the Jewish 
nation into a church, or congregation, he did not tell Moses 
to assemble the elders of Israel together for the purpose of 
legislating for his people. He reserved all the legislative 
power to himself. The only matter referred to them was, 
whether they would keep the law. " And they said, All 
that the Lord said will we do, and be obedient." Ex., 
xxiv, 7. 

So, when he made the new man, or Christian congrega- 
tion, he gave it all its laws. He assembled no general 
council, either of men. or angels, to draft a constitution and 
enact laws for his church. He spoke, and it was done ; he 
commanded, and it stood fast. He consulted his own will 
alone on the subject, and gave just such laws and ordinances 
as he saw would be best calculated to perfect the man of 
God, and thoroughly furnish him unto all good works 
Now, judging the future from the past, is it not reasonable 
to conclude that if the good Lord should ever propose to 



32 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

organize another church, he will still hold all the legislative 
power in his own hands ? That he will frame its constitu- 
tion, enact its laws, and appoint all its ordinances ? Most 
surely he will, as long as he reigns King of kings, and 
Lord of lords. 

3. My third conclusion is, that if God should ever give 
organic laws for a new church, he will accompany the giv- 
ing and promulging of those laws with such miraculous 
gifts and divine manifestations as will leave no doubt as to 
their divine origin. 

When he gave his law to his ancient people, he did not 
require them to receive it on the mere testimony of Moses. 
He did not leave the elders of Israel to guess or imagine, 
from secret impulses, what was the mind of God as to legal 
requirements. But the Lord communed with Moses from 
the thick darkness which overspread the mount of God ; 
while the earth trembled, and the voice of words was heard, 
and the sound of a trumpet waxing louder and louder, until 
the affrighted hosts of Israel withdrew from the trembling, 
burning, smoking, Mount Sinai, and entreated that the 
words should not be spoken to them any more. See Heb., 
xii, 18, 19. These awfully grand and terrific scenes were 
intended to show that it was none other than God who gave 
that law ; it was Jehovah's testimony to the divine authen- 
ticity of the law. 

And when the constitution and laws of the new man, or 
Christian church, were given, they were attested by divine 
power. Even the Messiahship of the Lord Jesus was proved 
by his doing such works as no other man had ever done. 
And after he was crowned Lord of all, and the time came 
to organize the New Testament church, " suddenly there 
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, 
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And 
there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire ; 



THE NEW CHURCH. 33 

and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with 
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as 
the spirit gave them utterance." Thus did the divine 
power testify to the sacred origin of this new church. And 
then, during the entire ministry of these prime ministers 
of the kingdom of Christ, God "bore them witness, by 
signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy 
Spirit, according to his will," (Heb. ii, 4), so that there 
was no room left to doubt the truth of what they preached. 
All who would reason honestly were bound to say : 

" The work, Lord, is thine, 
And wondrous in our eyes." 

Now, from all these facts, we conclude that if God should 
ever propose to build a new church, different from the one 
that was set up on the day of Pentecost, he will accompany 
the organization thereof, and the promulgation of its laws 
and ordinances, with such miraculous attestations as will 
prove its heavenly origin, and thus point it out as His 
church, in contradistinction from every other ecclesiastical 
organization on the face of the broad earth. 

4. My fourth conclusion is, that the church of Christ is 
no mean affair. 

If the whole Jewish economy was only a preparatory 
work for this church— if all the ancient prophets and seers 
of God spoke and taught in reference to it — if the whole 
ministry of John was only intended to prepare the way for 
it — if the partition wall, the law of commandments con- 
cerning ordinances, which had stood for fifteen hundred 
years, was broken down to make way for it — if Jesus died 
to blot out that old covenant which stood in the way of the 
Jews coming into the new church, and which was, there- 
fore, contrary to their best interests — and if he sealed and 
ratified the constitution of this church with his own heart's 



34 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

blood — it must surely be an institution of no small import- 
ance. 

I awfully fear that many who profess faith in Christ have 
not a proper regard for the church of God. I fear many 
look upon the church about as they do on any human orga- 
nizations, got up for mere worldly purposes. Hence, we 
hear men talk about " the church of their choice" or, of 
" selecting the church whose polity they prefer. " Is not 
this treating the church of Christ as we do State govern- 
ments and human organizations. Men choose to live in 
one State in preference to another, because of their differ- 
ence in State polity. So, one man chooses to be a member 
of the Free Mason fraternity, but another prefers the I. 0. 
of Odd Fellows. And how many choose their church about 
in the same way. Now, my dear reader, all this is well 
enough in reference to mere human organizations, but 
when we speak of the church of God, the subject is too 
awfully grand to admit of any such conferring with flesh 
and blood. In reference to his church, God has given no 
such volition ; he organized it through the ministry of 
divinely-inspired apostles and teachers, and the only choice 
left us is, to adopt its constitution, submit to its laws, and 
become members according to gospel terms, and thus enjoy 
its blessings ; or else to reject it altogether, and risk the 
consequences. 

Eeader, ponder these things well. Eemember, we must 
all account to the great Judge of the living and the dead, 
for the manner in which we treat the " church of God, 
which he has purchased with his own blood." 

5. I conclude, in the fifth place, that it is the will of God 
that all partition walls, or human laws which tend to divide 
the people of God, should be leveled to the ground. That 
the will of the Lord has not changed since the days of the 
apostles, will not be denied ; and that it will not change 



THE NEW CHURCH. 35 

during the whole lifetime of the gospel dispensation, must 
be admitted by all. Then it follows, that if he broke down 
the old partition wall which he himself built, even the law 
of commandments concerning ordinances, for the express 
purpose of making one new church, that he might thereby 
make peace, then is it contrary to his righteous purpose to 
have his people divided and sub-divided into contending 
sects and parties, and kept apart by laws and usages which 
he has not ordained. 

If these laws have not been attested by miraculous power, 
they are not of God, though they may have been enacted 
by the most august council ever convened since the days of 
the apostles, and if they are not of God, they should not 
be regarded as authoritative in his kingdom. And if they 
tend to divide and keep his people asunder, they should all 
be broken down, so that God's will may be done by his pea 
pie on earth, as angels do it in heaven. 

6. My sixth conclusion is, that every disciple of Christ 
ought to be a peace-maker. Christ was a peace-maker, as 
we have seen ; and he says : "If any man will serve me, 
let him follow me." John xii, 26. To follow Christ, is to 
imitate him. Then, as he made peace, so must his disciples 
endeavor to do. 

When the Lord would make peace, he did not omit any 
duty for that purpose ; he compromised no truth for the 
sake of peace ; he made no league with sin ; he broke down 
all legal barriers which stood in the way of the peace and 
union of believers of all nations, and then laid down a holy 
platform of union — a platform composed of a few T plain but 
mighty truths, truths which permeate the whole volume of 
inspiration, giving life and power to the whole system of 
human redemption. Upon these sacred principles, he formed 
a holy brotherhood, in which all was peace, and love, and 
joy, through the Holy Spirit. 



36 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Now, if we claim to be the disciples of Christ — to be 
learners of him — then should we labor to make peace on 
the same principles. We should endeavor to impress these 
principles upon the minds of all over whom we have any 
influence, both by precept and example, so that all may see 
their beauty, feel their power, and be converted by the 
truth, as it is in Jesus ; that the peace of God may rule in 
the hearts and lives of all his people, both now and for- 
evermore. 



SEBMON II. 

THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND HE THE HEAD. 

And he is the head of the body, the church. 

Col. i, 18. 

Various are the figures employed by the inspired writers 
for the purpose of illustrating that religious organism 
which is called " The church of God, the ground and sup- 
port of the truth ;" and in every such figure, Christ is 
spoken of as supreme. Are the members of the church 
represented as branches of a living vine ? Then he is the 
vine. Is the church represented as a flock of sheep ? Then 
he is the good shepherd, who even gives his life for the 
sheep. Is the church spoken of as a kingdom ? Then he 
is the king who reigns over that kingdom. Is the church 
represented under the figure of a body, as in our text ? 
Then he is the head of that body. In all things, therefore, 
he should have the preeminence. 

This is not the only scripture in which Christ is repre- 
sented as the head of the church. To the Corinthians, 
Paul says : " I would have you know that the head of every 
man is Christ." 1 Cor. xi, 3. To the church at Ephesus, 
he says : " The husband is the head of the wife, even as 
Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Saviour of the 
body." Eph. v, 23. Again: God " hath given him to be 
head over all things to the church, which is his body." 
Eph. i, 22. 

My design, in this discourse is to speak of the church as 

fST) 



38 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the body of Christ, and of Christ as the head of this body, 
in doing which, I propose the following order : 

I. Speak of the character of Christ, the head of the 
church. 

II. Speak of the church under the figure of a body ; our 
physical organization. 

III. Notice the union that exists between the head and 
the body. 

IV. Close with practical conclusions, drawn from the 
premises which will, by that time, be before our minds. 

I. According to this order, we are first to notice the char- 
acter of him who is the head of the Church. 

1. The dignity of his divine character is clearly indicated 
by the works which are ascribed to him. In the context, 
it is said : " By him were all things created, that are in 
heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether 
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ; 
all things w T ere created by him and for him," ver. 16. 
Again : " All things were made by him, and without him 
was not any thing made that was made," John i, 3. 

Surely, no power short of the power of God could perform 
such stupendous works. Indeed, finite minds can not com- 
prehend this mighty creation ; how then could a finite mind 
contrive it, or a finite hand execute it? Contemplate, 
gentle reader, the vastness of creation. What a world is this 
which we inhabit ! with all its mighty mountains ; its roar- 
ing and muttering volcanoes, ever and anon belching forth 
rolling torrents of burning lava. Behold its wide spread 
plains, its deep rolling rivers, and its mighty oceans, whose 
mountain waves are ever lashing the shore at the feet of 
the awe-stricken beholder. Then contemplate the innumer- 
able tribes of living beings, formed to inhabit every part 
of this mighty world of ours ; the beasts of the field, the 
fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea : but, above all, 



THE CHUKCH, THE BODY OE CHRIST, ETC. 39 

contemplate man, made in the image of God ; and then 
remember that all, all were created by him who is the head 
of the Church, and we may form some very faint idea of 
his glorious character. 

But our little world is but a speck in creation ; as but a 
grain of sand on the sea-shore, compared with the immen- 
sity of the created universe. The sun, moon, and stars 
are the works of his fingers ; he " in the beginning laid 
the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works 
of his hands." Heb. i, 10. Imagine every fixed star — - 
even those that can only be seen by the aid of our largest 
and most powerful telescopes — to be a sun, placed in the 
center of a system of worlds, all performing their annual 
revolutions around their respective suns ; then imagine all 
these worlds, with their innumerable hosts of living inhab- 
itants, to be but a very small portion of the workmanship 
of his almighty power ; and then think how glorious must 
he be who is the head of the Church and the Saviour of 
the body. 

2. But the scriptures teach that he not only made all 
all things, but that he upholds all things. In connection 
with our text, Paul says, " he is before all things, and by 
him all things consist," ver. 17. Again, the same apostle 
says : " God, who at sundry times and in divers manners 
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath 
in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath 
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the 
worlds ; who being the brightness of his glory, and the ex- 
press image of his person, and upholding all things by the 
word of his power," etc. Heb. i, 1, 2, 3. The apostle here 
seems to represent the power of Christ as a mighty arch, 
reaching from eternity past to eternity to come : or span- 
ning that broken off fragment of eternity which we call 
time ; upon which arch is suspended the universe, all borne 



40 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

up or upheld by him " whom God hath given to be head 
over all things to the church." Surely he is no superhu- 
man or super-angelic being. He who created all things, 
and who upholds all things, must be divine. 

3. Bat the very term which expresses divine nature, is 
applied to Jesus, the Christ. 

John says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God, and the Word ivas God." — "And the 
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth." John, i, 1-14. Now, it can not 
be that this title, God, is applied to our Lord Jesus, merely 
on account of any delegated power or authority which he 
may have received from the Father ; nor on account of any 
office that may have been conferred upon him. In such 
cases, it might be said that he was as God; but it is here 
declared that he was God, and that he was God in the 
beginning. This title, then, must be applied to him, in 
reference to his divine nature. Just say that Jesus Christ 
is God in nature, and all is plain. It does seem to me, 
much of the controversy concerning the Godhead of our 
blessed Eedeemer, might have been saved by this common 
sense, and I will say, scriptural view of the subject. In- 
stead of contending that the Father and Son are one indi- 
vidual being, or personage, as some have been understood 
to do, let it be maintained that the unity is in nature — and 
1 think but few who receive, as divinely inspired, the teach- 
ings of the apostles of Christ, will object. But let him 
object that will, such is the truth in the case. Theos may 
be regarded as the name of a nature — divine nature — and 
antliropos as the name of human nature. Now, these two 
natures were, undoubtedly, united in that wonderfully glo- 
rious being; whose character we are now considering:. 
Therefore, it was said of him, before he was born ; '• They 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 41 

shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted, is, 
God with us." Matt, i, 23. 

II. But I now pass to my second head of discourse, which 
is indeed the main subject on which I design speaking — 
namely : " The Body of Christ, the Church" 

1. One object I had before me, in taking the very brief 
view of the exalted position and divine character of the 
Lord Jesus, that I have done under the first head of this 
discourse, is to exalt the church in our esteem. As inti- 
mated in the foregoing discourse, I fear that we do not 
esteem the church as highly as we should: hence, the 
unceremoniousness with which persons frequently leave the 
church ; and the little interest that many seem to take in 
the prosperity and welfare of the church. 

Now, we generally estimate the worth and efficiency of 
a body, by its head. A human body may be strong, well 
organized and healthy, but if its head be idiotic, we attach 
but little importance to the body. So of organized socie- 
ties ; we look to the head for the honor and efficiency of 
the body. What estimate, then, should we place upon the 
church, when it is declared to be the body of Christ? If 
that glorious personage who is " the brightness of the 
Father's glory, and the express image of his person — by 
whom all things were created, and who upholds all things 
by the word of his po'wer — I say, if this transcendantly glo- 
rious and divine being condescends to preside over the 
church, as its head — and permits himself to be regarded, 
by all the shining hosts of heaven, as the head of the 
church, and the church to be considered as his body — sure- 
ly, the church of God is no mean affair ; and to be a con- 
stitutional member thereof, is no small matter. that I 
could make this thought sink deep into the heart of every 
one who may read this discourse. Are you, dear reader, 
a member of the church of Jesus Christ? How exalted, 
4 



42 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

then, is your position ! How highly should you prize your 
relationship in that body, of which Christ is the head ; and 
how should you strive for the health and well-being of that 
body ! But more of this in its proper place. 

2. The second thought that I wish to suggest, in refer- 
ence to the church, is, that it is a unit — the church is one. 

This word church is translated from the Greek word 
ecclesia, which literally means, " assembly, congregation." 
Ucclesia is derived from exxaAsco — I call out, the called out 
So the term church, means a congregation called out from 
the world. This term, I admit, is applied in the New 
Testament, to individual congregations, such as the church 
at Corinth, the church at Ephesus, the church at Philippi ; 
and it is applied in the plural form to the churches in Gal- 
atia, Judea, and Asia. See Gal. i, 2, 22; 2 Cor. viii, 1,18, 23; 
xi, 28 ; Bev. i, 11, 20. In all these places, these individual 
congregations are considered in their individual capacity ; 
but the term church is often used in a more general sense, 
as embracing all these congregations in one general body. 

When Peter made the good confession, Christ said to him, 
" Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church," 
etc. He did not say churches, but church, in the singular. 
Now, no one will say that he meant the congregation at Jeru- 
salem, to the exclusion of all other Christian congregations. 
Paul, reflecting on his former life, said, " I am not meet to 
be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of 
God." 1 Cor. xv, 9. He did not mean that he only perse- 
cuted one congregation ; he persecuted the saints even unto 
strange cities ; hence, he embraces the whole body of 
believers, wherever found, in the term church. Again : 
" Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and 
cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word [or, as 
Dr. McKnight renders it, with a bath of water, and with 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 43 

the Word], that he might present it to himself a glorious 
church: 7 Eph. v, 25, 26. 

Now, in this whole connection, the apostle surely uses 
the term church in a general sense. And it is used in the 
same sense in our text, " He is the head of the body, the 
church" Thus are all the Christian congregations con- 
templated, in the light of apostolic teaching, as one church — 

ONE BODY. 

I do not understand from this that the apostle intended 
to teach that all these congregations, should be united by 
any general council, or by conventional rules ; or that they 
should be united in one visible head, whether called bishop 
or pope ; but that all who believed in Jesus Christ, and 
submitted to his authority, and stood upon the apostolic 
platform — namely, the one body, one spirit, one hope, one 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of 
all — were, by these holy principles, united in the unity of 
the spirit and in the bond of peace, and were, therefore, to 
be regarded as one body. 

3. My third remark in reference to the mystical body of 
Christ, is, that in the days of the apostles, when persons 
were prepared by faith and true repentance for a place in 
the church, they became members by baptism. 

A reconciliation to God in all the feelings of the heart, 
and an entire reformation of life, are necessary to member- 
ship in that church. This change, or purification of heart, 
is effected by faith in the truth of God concerning the Christ, 
the son of the living God ; and this change of heart pro- 
duces that change of life which is implied in evangelical 
repentance. Now, when a person is thus prepared for this 
society, he becomes a member by being baptized into the 
name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Paul said, "Know you not that so many of us as were 
baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death ?" 



44 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Rom. vi, 3. Again : " As many of you as have been bap- 
tized into Christ, have put on Christ." Gal. iii, 27. No 
one is, or can be, baptized into Christ literally, and yet in 
the scriptures just quoted, the apostle teaches most clearly 
that they were baptized into Christ. It follows, then, that 
they were baptized into the body of Christ, the church. 
Hence, all the members of this body were baptized, nor can 
it be shown that any person was ever regarded as a member 
of Christ's church, without baptism. 

4. The next item that I will notice in relation to the 
church under the figure of a body, is, the union that should 
exist among the members. 

This subject is often spoken of in the scriptures. The 
union of God's people was one of the great objects for 
which the Saviour taught, and labored, and died. It was 
the theme of his instruction, and the subject of his prayers. 
In one of his most solemn petitions to his Heavenly Father, 
he said : " Neither pray I for these alone [the apostles], 
but for them also who shall believe on me through their 
word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, 
and 1 in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the 
world may believe that thou hast sent me. ;; John xvii, 
20, 21. How near and how dear must that union be, if it 
resembles the union between God, our Heavenly Father, 
and Jesus Christ, the blessed Redeemer ! We have seen 
in this discourse that they are one in nature ; so should 
Christians be — all being partakers of the divine nature, 
through the exceeding great and precious promises of the 
gospel. And is not this as it should be ? Should not all 
the members of a body have the same nature ? and should 
not that be the nature of the head ? 

This union is often illustrated, in the apostolic teaching, 
by the union that exists between the members of a natural 
body. To the Ephesians, Paul wrote thus : " Wherefore, 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 45 

putting away all lying, speak every man the truth with his 
neighbor, for we are members one of another." Eph. iv, 25. 
To the church at Some, he said: "For as we have many 
members in one body, and all members have not the same 
office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every 
one members one of another." Bom. xii, 4, 5. Now, who 
can conceive the nearness of the relation that exists between 
the members of my physical body ? This, Christian reader, 
is but a figure of the holy union that should exist among 
all the members of Christ's mystical body, the church. 
The apostle teaches that it is the will of Christ that all the 
members, " speaking the truth in love, may grow up into 
him in all things, who is the head, even Christ, from whom 
the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted, by that 
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual work- 
ing in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the 
body to the edifying of itself in love." Eph. iv, 15, 16. 

What a beautiful description this is of the human body, 
and how forcibly does it illustrate the union that should 
obtain among the members of the church of Christ, which 
is his body. In the natural body, every joint supplies its 
place ; the members are fitly (not unfitly) joined together ; 
the parts composing the joint all adapted to each other ; and 
then these parts are joined together by ligaments that hold 
the members in a very near relation to each other. Then 
they are compacted together by the outside membranes ; 
and then, by the effectual working of every part, the body 
increases. So should the members of the body of Christ be 
united. Each should supply his place in the body, and all 
" be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the 
same judgment," (1 Cor. i, 10), and then, by the effectual 
working of every part, of every member, whether preacher, 
pastor, elder, deacon, or private member, each working in 



46 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

his respective sphere for the general good, the body, or 
church, will grow, and increase in moral power as it grows. 

The apostle Paul speaks at still greater length on 
this same subject, in his first letter to the Corinthians. 
He says : " For, as the body is one, and hath many 
members, and all these members of that one body, being 
many, are one body ; so, also, is Christ. For, by one 
spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be 
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and have 
all been made to drink into one spirit. For the body is not 
one member, but many ; if they were all one member, 
where were the body? But now are they many members, 
yet but one body ; and the eye can not say unto the hand, 
I have no need of thee; nor, again, the head to the feet, 
I have no need of thee." 1 Cor. xii, 12-21. So should all 
the members of the church of Christ regard themselves ; all 
united in the bond of peace, and all mutually dependent 
upon each other. 

But the apostle labors this subject still further. He 
says : " There should be no schism in the body; but the 
members should have the same care one for another. And 
whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with 
it ; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with 
it." Thus are the members of my natural body united. 
If the lady's little finger is honored by wearing a gold 
ring, her head is honored ; all the members partake of that 
honor. And if the most remote member of the natural 
body is pained, all the members sympathise with it. Thus 
it is, that when one member of the body is diseased, the 
whole body becomes enfeebled. Why should a sound mem- 
ber be enervated by a disease in another member? It is 
because "all the members have the same care one for 
another." The forces and power of all the members are 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 47 

concentrated at the diseased part of the body, for the purpose 
of overcoming the disease and saving the member. So 
should it be with the members of Christ's mystical body. 
If one member is honored on account of devotion to, and 
usefulness in, the church, the whole body is honored by 
having such a worthy member in it; and hence, no one 
should be jealous of the influence of another, nor envious 
at their success in doing good. 

And if one member suffer, all the members should sym- 
pathise with him; for, says the apostle, in making his 
application, "you are the body of Christ, and members in 
particular." Ver. 27. If one member is morally diseased, 
all should feel for him. Suppose a member of the church 
has been overtaken in a fault, and has stepped out of the 
way : the members should not turn off from that member 
with cold indifference ; they should not speak lightly of 
him, and express their fears of his steadfastness, and their 
want of confidence in the purity of his motives. This is 
not the way we treat the members of the natural body. 
The influence of the whole body is exercised in behalf of 
the diseased member, to save it, if possible. So, the care, 
and influence, and counsel, and prayers of the whole church 
should be thrown around the erring member ; yes, surround 
him with loving kindness, and make him feel that all are 
interested in his well being. Amputation is never resorted 
to in the natural body, until all hope is lost — until the very 
life of the body is jeopardized by its connection with a 
diseased, decaying member ; and even then, it is a painful 
operation. So should it be in the church of Christ. Exclu- 
sion should be the very last resort, and never should take 
place until all hope of saving the member is lost, and until 
the very life, spiritual life, of the body is endangered by 
the connection of the offending member with it. 

Such is the union which should ever be maintained 



48 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

among the members of Christ's mystical body. Christian 
reader, what think you of it? Are you endeavoring to 
keep this union in the bond of peace? I fear that many 
who have talked, and sung, and preached, and prayed much 
on this subject, the subject of bible union on bible principles, 
do not realize a moiety of the holy spiritual union that the 
gospel requires. We have said more on this subject than 
any other people during the last quarter of a century, and 
yet we do not exhibit to the world any more of that union 
than we ought. I speak to those who have taken the Bible 
as their only rule for religious faith and religious manners. 
Do we realize all that nearness of feeling, that identity of 
interest, that warmth of soul, that oneness of mind and 
purpose that we have professed ? that the Saviour prayed 
for ? that the foregoing scripture quotations indicate ? and 
that should always exist among the members of the same 
body? Ponder well these questions, Christian reader, and 
may the good Lord enable us to love one another, with 
pure hearts, fervently. 

III. But let us now consider the relation and union that 
exists between the head and the body. 

1. In all physical bodies which have animation, the head 
governs the body. This is emphatically true in reference 
to the human body, which seems to be the kind of body to 
which the apostle has more particular reference in this 
figure. The head is the seat of the judgment and will, 
by which all the members are controlled. One body, one 
head, one will, is heaven's order. One body with two 
heads would be a monster, and such would be one head 
with many bodies. 

No body could act efficiently if the members thereof were 
governed by different and conflicting wills. This is the 
secret cause of all the divisions among the professed fol- 
lowers of Christ. There are too many wills to be consulted, 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 49 

too many heads, too many law-makers. Now, if we acknow- 
ledge Christ as the head of the body, the church, our w r ills 
should all be lost in his ; self should be crucified with him 
by the cross, and we should be buried with him in baptism; 
then we should rise to walk in newness of life, and in all 
our future actions we should be governed by his righteous 
will. Paul says, We have the mind, or will of Christ. 
This we have in the Holy Scriptures. To this blessed book 
then, we should always come, in order to learn the will of 
Christ ; and having learned his will, we should not stop to 
confer with flesh and blood ; we should not consult our own 
views of propriety, or the views of our neighbor ; but we 
should do the will of the great head of the church, and 
leave the results in his Almighty hands. 

2. I notice, in the second place, under this division of the 
subject, that the head is the seat of sensation — of sympa- 
thy. What is done to the members is felt in the head. 
The great sympathetic nerve, which connects with the head, 
divides itself into a thousand fibers, and runs through every 
ramification of the body, carrying the sensation of the 
smallest touch, upon the most remote member, to the head, 
in the twinkling of an eye ; and by this means, all the 
members sympathise with each other, and all the members 
sympathise with the head, and the head sympathises with 
all the members. 

Now, let that nerve represent the love of God shed abroad 
in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit given unto all the true 
members of the body of Christ, the church, and you have 
a very faint representation of the relation and sympathy 
that exist between Christ and his church. 

I will only introduce two examples to show this relation ; 
one of mal-treatment, and one of benevolent treatment. 

After Christ was crowned Lord of all, and his body, the 
church, was fully organized, there was a man of much 



50 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

influence and of great firmness and perseverance, who set 
his face against this infant body, and determined on its 
destruction. In order to accomplish his designs, he perse- 
cuted the saints, eyen unto strange cities. On one occasion, 
he himself says, " I received letters unto the brethren, and 
went to Damascus to bring them that were there, bound 
unto Jerusalem to be punished. And it came to pass, as I 
made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus, about 
noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round 
about me. And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice 
saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? And 
I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I 
am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest." Acts, 
xxii, 5-8. 

Now what was this man doing ? He had no idea that 
he w r as persecuting Jesus. If he had ever heard his name, 
he believed that he had been justly crucified, and was 
then in the cold arms of mother earth. But he was per- 
secuting those who believed in Jesus, and who had become 
the members of his body ; and Jesus says, You are perse- 
cuting me. As if he had said, I am in heaven, seated on 
the throne of the universe, and the members of my mys- 
tical body are down here upon earth, yet I know them : I 
feel every pain that they endure for my sake ; they are as 
dear to me as the apple of my eye ; you can't touch them, 
but I feel it ; when you persecute them, you persecute me, 
and I hold you accountable for it, as if you had persecuted 
me face to face. How near, then, must be the union be- 
tween Christ and his people ! O how careful we should be 
as to how we treat the members of the Lord's body ! 

The next case to which we refer, is found in the twenty- 
fifth chapter of Matthew. In this chapter, we have a very 
graphic description of the great and notable day of the 
Lord ; that dreadful day when the destinies of men will be 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 51 

settled for eternity. In describing the scenes of that final 
day, Jesus says : When the Son of man shall come in his 
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit 
upon the throne of his glory ; and before him shall be 
gathered all nations ; and he shall separate them, one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats 
on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his 
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world." Now, mark well what follows: " For I was hun- 
gry, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me 
drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, and 
ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in 
prison, and ye came unto me." Matt, xxv, 31-36. 

what a lesson this is for all who love the Lord ; yes, 
and for those who love him not, but treat his cause and his 
people with contempt. 

It seems that these righteous persons do not fully under- 
stand the meaning of the Judge ; and hence they shall 
say, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and' fed you ? 
When did we see you thirsty, and gave you drink? When 
did we visit you in sickness, or in prison ? We spent our 
days on earth, among the sons of men, while you were 
seated upon the throne, high up in heaven, surrounded by 
all the angelic hosts, who always delight to do thy will. 
How is it, then, that w^e have performed these acts of kind- 
ness and mercy unto thee ? Eeader, hear the answer, and 
let it sink deep into thy heart: " Verily I say unto you, 

INASMUCH AS YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ONE OE THE LEAST OF 
THESE MY BRETHREN, YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME." Ver. 40. 

Lord, help us to feel the force of that declaration. 

When the Philippians sent once and again unto the ne- 
cessities of the apostle Paul, they may not have thought 



52 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

that they were administering to the wants of the "blessed 
Lord; (see Phil, i, 7; iv, 14, 15). Onesiphorus, also, may 
not have considered that he was bestowing favors on the 
Lord Jesus, when he so diligently sought Paul, the prisoner 
of the Lord, in the great city of Eome, and refreshed him 
with some of the good things of this life. (See 2 Tim. i, 
16, 17). But Jesus saw him, and regarded it as done to 
himself, and will reward him accordingly. Eeader, do you 
always reflect, when you speak of christians, that Christ 
notes every word, as having reference to himself? The 
Lord sees our hearts, he knows our motives, and he will 
remember how we treat the members of his body — the 
church. 

You can not treat with contempt a member of a natural 
body, without insulting the head. If you spit upon my 
little finger through contempt, my head is insulted ; it 
would be regarded as offering an indignity to my head. 
So Jesus regards all the constitutional members of his 
church ; hence the apostle says : " We are members of 
his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Eph. v, 30. Such 
is the body of Christ. You can not offer an indignity to a 
member of the church, without insulting Jesus, its head. 
Hence, he says, It were better that a mill-stone were 
hanged about a person's neck, and he be cast into the sea, 
than for him to offend one who believes in Christ. 

IV. According to my fourth proposition, I am now to 
close this discourse with a few practical reflections : 

1. If we are members of the Lord's body, we ought to 
love him most devoutly. We have seen the attachment that 
he has for the members of his mystical body ; and should 
not this attachment be mutual ? We should give him the 
warmest seat in our heart's affections, and we should 
always show our respect for him and his holy cause, in all 
we do and in all we say. 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 53 

2. We should honor him. The members of any body, 
whether physical, political, or ecclesiastical, should always 
honor their head ; especially if the head be worthy. And 
I ask, what organism on earth has so worthy a head, as the 
church ? What head has ever shown such interest in the 
well-being of his body, as the great head of the church 
has shown toward the body over which he presides ? One 
witness hath testified that " he gave himself for the church, 
that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of 
water by the Word." Eph. v, 25, 26. That is, he died for 
this body, that he might sanctify and save it ; or, as Dr. 
McKnight renders it, " that he might sanctify her, (the 
church), having cleansed her with a bath of water, and 
with the Word." Now, if Christ has thus loved the church, 
should not the members honor him? They should not 
speak a word, nor perform an act, that would be a reproach 
to the great head of the church ; but all they do and say, 
should reflect honor on the name and cause of Christ. 

3. Christians should love one another. If all true chris- 
tians are members of the same body, surely they should 
love each other sincerely, and always strive to promote the 
peace and happiness of one another. Eead the following 
scriptures on this subject : " Beloved, if God so loved us, 
we ought also to love one another." 1 John, iv, 11. " We 
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we 
love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, abideth 
in death." — " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because 
he laid down his life for us ; and we ought to lay down 
our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's 
goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up 
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love 
of God in him ? My little children, let us not love in 
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." 1 John, 
iii, 14-18. " Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying 



54 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the truth, through the spirit, unto unfeigned love of the 
brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart, 
fervently." — " Finally, be ye all of one mind, having com- 
passion one of another ; love as brethren, be pitiful, be 
courteous." 1 Pet. i. 22 ; iii, 8. 

Surely, the love here recommended is more than mere 
natural affection, growing out of worldly considerations. 
This love is to proceed from pure hearts, and is to be fer- 
vent — which means "earnestly, eagerly, vehemently, with 
great warmth, with pious ardor, with earnest zeal, ardently." 
Webster. This love to the brotherhood should be like the 
fire upon the golden altar in God's ancient temple. It 
should be holy, and be ever burning ; it should never be 
permitted to go out. This will require much watching and 
prayer. 

You remember, on one occasion the priests permitted the 
fire on that golden altar to go out. This happened on 
account of inattention on the part of these priests. So will 
it be with our Christian love, which should ever be burning 
upon the altar of our hearts. If we neglect this altar, and 
give our attention too much to the cares of this world, the 
fire of sacred love will expire. 

You also remember, reader, what those priests did. They 
put unsanctified fire upon that altar — that is, fire that had 
not been consecrated and set apart to a holy or religious 
use. 

May we not virtually do the same thing. That is, may 
we not kindle the fire of Christian affection out of mere 
worldly considerations ? How often do we see this thing, 
called Christian love, confined in its manifestations to cer- 
tain grades and casts of society. Is it not sometimes the 
case that our love to Christians is regulated by the fashions 
and etiquette of society? And how easily is such love 
cooled? A little inattention — even failing to return a 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 55 

fashionable call — cools all the affection that once existed 
between church members. My brother, this is placing 
unholy fire upon God's altar. 

And do you not remember the fate of those ancient 
priests who thus defiled the temple of God. Bead in Lev, 
x, 1, 2. 

God destroyed them for their neglect of duty and pre- 
sumptuous wickedness. And should not all Christians 
examine themselves carefully, lest they be condemned at 
last ? Remember, that if our Christian love is accepted of 
God, it must be kindled with a live coal from his altar ; or, 
to speak without a figure, it must be inspired by the spirit 
of the living God ; but this they can only obtain and main- 
tain by a union with Christ, the head of this body. 

4. We should cooperate in all the interests of the church. 

That the body of Christ, the church, may be a healthy, 
growing body, it must be a working body. The strongest 
and most robust physical body would soon become feeble, 
without exercise. And an individual member may be kept 
in a state of rest until its power to act is lost. Hence, you 
always see active, stirring persons most healthy, and the 
members that are most used become the strongest. 

So is it, spiritually speaking. The members of the 
church that never do much for the Lord's cause, never feel 
like doing much ; while those who work for Christ become 
stronger and stronger, and are thus able to do still more 
and more for the prosperity of the Lord's cause. If this 
should meet the eye of a moral dyspeptic, I exhort him to 
go to work in the cause of Christ, and it will do him good. 

But the thought that I wished to impress upon the 
reader's mind is, the necessity of cooperation among the 
members of this body, for the welfare of the body. I speak 
now particularly to those who have taken their stand on the 
Bible alone; who have united on the foundation of apostles 



56 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
stone ; who have become members of the body of Christ on 
Bible principles. 

My brethren, should not the members of this body coop- 
erate in all their general efforts for the enlargement of the 
borders of Zion — for the growth of the body, until it shall 
fill the whole earth ? The brethren living in counties 
should form county cooperations for the purpose of sus- 
taining the proclamation of the gospel in destitute portions 
of the counties. And districts and States should do the 
same. Why may they not ? Are they not all members of 
the same body ? And do not all the members of my body 
cooperate for the general good of the body ? So may the 
members of the body of Christ. Nay, they not only may ; 
but they are in duty bound to do so. 

5. The members of this body should keep themselves pure. 
Speaking of the Christian's hope, the apostle John says : 
" Every one that hath this hope in him, puriiieth himself 
even as he is pure." 1 John iii, 3. If the head is pure, the 
members should be. Hear the great apostle of the Gentiles 
on this'subjeet : " Know you not that your bodies are the mem- 
bers of Christ ? Shall I then take the members of Christ 
and make them members of a harlot ? God forbid ! What ! 
know you not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? 
For two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined 
to the Lord is one spirit." 1 Cor. vi, 14-17. Thus reasons 
one who had the mind of Christ. Contemplating the purity 
of the great head of the church, he concludes that all the 
members should be pure — that it would be unjust, unnat- 
ural, and unrighteous to form such an unholy alliance 
between the members of Christ's body and the base charac- 
ter just named. 

But, if such an alliance with one species of crime is wrong, 
the same is true in reference to all sin. How appropriate 



THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST, ETC. 57 

Paul's command to Timothy, " Keep thyself pure." Shall 
I take the members of Christ's body, and introduce thein 
into the ball-room ? Shall I cause the Lord's feet to move 
in the giddy dance ? If I do, do I not dishonor the head ? 
Let every member of the mystical body of Christ endeavor, 
by divine grace, to "keep himself unspotted by the world," 
for this is one of the constituents of pure and undefiled 
religion. 

6. The head was raised from the dead and glorified in 
heaven ; so shall the members be. 

Because I live, you shall also live, said the blessed Lord. 
" If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead 
dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall 
also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth 
in you." Eom. viii, 11. " For if we believe that Jesus died 
and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will 
God bring with him." 1 Thess. iv, 14. Then the desire of 
the Lord will be realized. " Father," said he, " I will that 
they also that thou hast given me be with me, where I am, 
that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me." 
John xvii, 24. " Then shall be brought to pass that say- 
ing that is written : Death is swallowed up in victory ; O, 
death, where is thy sting? 0, grave, where is thy victory?" 
1 Cor. xv, 54, 55. 

Eeader, are you a member of this body — the church of 
Christ? Then be faithful unto death, and the Lord hath 
said you shall have a crown of life. But if you are not a 
member of this body, 0, be exhorted to come to the Saviour ; 
believe on him with all your heart — confess his worthy 
name — reform your life, and be baptized into the body of 
Christ. 



SEEMON III. 

THIS SECT. 

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest ; for as concerning this sect, we 
know that every where it is spoken against. Acts xxviii, 22. 

In the last chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, we have 
an account of Paul's perilous voyage to Eome, where he 
was taken as a prisoner, for his devotion to, and his labors 
in the cause of Christ. When he was brought into Home, 
it is said, "Paul was suffered to dwell by himself, with a 
soldier that kept him. And it came to pass after three 
davs, that Paul called the chief of the Jews together': and 
when they were come together, he said unto them, Men 
and brethren, though 1 have committed nothing against 
the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered 
prisoner from Jerusalem, into the hands of the Eomans ; 
who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, 
because there was no cause of death in me. But when the 
Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto 
Csesar ; not that I had aught to accuse my nation of. For 
this cause, therefore, I called for you, to see you, and to 
speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound 
with this chain. 

" And they said unto him, We neither received letters 
out of Judea, concerning thee, neither any of the brethren 
that came, showed or spake any harm of you. 

"But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest ; for as 
58 



THIS SECT. 59 

concerning this sect, we know that every tvhere it is spoken 
against." 

The course pursued by these persons is somewhat differ- 
ent from that which is pursued by many in our day. Now, 
it is often made a reason why persons should not be heard, 
because the religious party to which they belong is every 
where spoken against. They now say, We do not desire to 
hear you, for as for this sect, it is every where spoken 
against. 

These persons, however, acted on a different principle. 
They seem to- say, Now, Paul, we know that the sect to 
w^hich you belong is spoken against all over the country ; 
we know that all parties oppose you ; but we are not will- 
ing to form our opinion of you or your party, by what 
others say. Your enemies may not fairly represent you ; 
therefore we desire to hear you on the subject. We 
want to hear an exposition of your views from one of the 
advocates of the system ; from one of the leaders of this 
sect. Eeader, was not that the more honorable course ? 
Surely it was. 

The term sect was not always as popular as it now is. 
It is used in the Scriptures, as well as in ecclesiastical his- 
tory, in a bad sense. The Greek w r ord translated sect, in 
the common version, is hairesis, which occurs, in all its in- 
flections, but nine times in the New Testament, and is 
translated in the common version, heresy four times, and 
sect five times ; which shows that the translators used the 
words sect and heresy interchangeably, as both signifying 
the same thing, and no one uses the term heresy in a fav- 
orable sense." 

Greenfield defines the word thus : " Strictly a choice, or 
opinion ; hence, a faction ; by impl. discord, contention." 
Hence Paul numbers sects among the works of the flesh. 
In Gal. v, 20, he says : " Now the works of the flesh are 



60 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

manifest, which are these : adultery, fornication, un clean- 
ness, laciviousness, idolatry, hatred, variance, emulations, 
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (aepe&ec;, hairesis), envy- 
ings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." 
Thus the apostle classes sects, or heresies, with the blackest 
crimes ever committed by fallen humanity, and even goes 
so far as to say, that " they who do such things shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God." 

Webster defines the word sect, thus : " A body, or num- 
ber of persons, united in tenets, chiefly in philosophy or 
religion, but constituting a distinct party, by holding sen- 
timents different from other men. 2. A cutting, scron, 
(obs.)" Though this mighty lexicographer marks this 
last meaning of the word sect as obsolete, he does not tell 
us how long it has been so. This was doubtless its pri- 
mary meaning. It seems to have come from the same root 
from which we have the word section, which means a part 
separated or cut off from the rest. Hence Paul used the 
term which is rendered sect in our text, to represent a party 
cut off or separated from the true church of Christ. The 
church of Christ is not, then, properly speaking, a sect; it 
is the body, the true church of God ; while a sect would 
be a section, a fragment, cut oft' from the true church of 
Christ. This is our reason for opposing sectarianism. We 
believe that the mystical body of Christ is " one body," 
and that in this body there should be no schism ; and that 
no man has any divine right to draw away a party from 
the original organism, and form a sect of them. This is 
heresy, the heresy so often condemned by the inspired wri- 
ters. No doubt these persons used the word m this sense 
in our text. They were Jews, and doubtless they regarded 
Paul, and those with him who had embraced Christianity 
from among the Jews, as a sect, a party cut off from the 
great body of the Jewish nation. 



THIS SECT. 61 

But in the further discussion of the subject, we will use 
the term merely to designate the body to which Paul be- 
longed, and not to sanction its use. 

I wish now to present a few plain propositions, in refer- 
ence to the body of believers with which Paul stood identi- 
fied. And in doing this, I do not intend to make one 
leading statement that will not be received as true by all 
who may read this discourse. 

1. This sect was every where spoken against It seems 
that all parties, Jews and Gentiles, all, all united in oppos- 
ing this religious body. Though they could agree in 
nothing else — though they were at swords' points on every 
other subject — yet when this sect was to be opposed, they 
dropped every other question, for the time being, and 
made one common cause of this ; one united effort to 
poison public opinion in reference to this people. And this 
is not the only people that have acted thus, nor is this the 
last time that such temporary unions have been formed, 
for the purpose of opposing the same cause. 

Many hard things were said of these people. Let us 
notice some of them. 

1. They were charged with worshipping God contrary to 
the law of the fathers, (Acts xviii, 13.) Now, this was a 
very serious charge. This, in our own day, would, in the 
estimation of many persons, destroy a man's religious 
reputation. Let it be said of a man, that he is introducing 
forms of worship contrary to the old established usages of 
the church, and how soon would he be cried down. The cry 
of Innovation ! Innovation ! would stop all ears against him, 
and his standing would be ruined. But this was said of 
Paul and his party ; this was one of the things that was 
spoken against this sect. 

2. They were charged with heresy. And this itself was 
enough to spoil Paul's influence with many persons. You 



62 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

know, gentle reader, that this charge would ruin a man's 
Christian standing and character, in many communities, 
even in our own clay. Just point at a preacher, now, and 
cry heresy ! heresy ! and you ruin his Christian influence 
with many. That Paul and his party were charged with 
heresy, we have already seen, from the meaning of the word 
translated sect in our text. On another occasion, when 
Paul made his defense before the Eoman governor, after 
referring to their unfounded charges, and stating that they 
could not prove one of them, he said : "But this I confess, 
that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the 
God of my fathers. M Acts xxiv, 14. He does not acknow- 
ledge that he is guilty of heresy, but says that he worships 
in the way that they call heresy. This proves that they 
had charged him with heresy ; and he admits, that if they 
are permitted to determine what is heresy, he would be 
condemned. And who would not be, even in this day of 
Bible light, and Bible liberty, if the accusing party is per- 
mitted to prefer the charge, explain in what it consists, and 
apply the law ? 

3. They were charged ivith teaching customs which were 
not lawful for others to observe. See Acts xvi, 21. Now, 
this was no small matter. For this charge, Paul and Silas 
were beaten with many stripes, and then confined in the 
dark damp dungeon. And even in our own day, this charge 
would ruin a man's Christian standing, with some of the 
stricter sects. The rules and customs of many of these 
bodies are stereotyped, and their forms have become fixed. 
Now, let any one introduce new religious customs in 
such a community, and the popular cry of — New cus- 
toms ! customs not lawful for us to observe ! would soon 
destroy his influence. But this was said of Paul and his 
party. 

4. They were charged with turning the world upside down. 



THIS SECT. 63 

Acts xvii, 6. And this might have been necessary, for the 
world may have been downside up a long time. Still, it was 
a very severe charge — one that was well calculated to destroy 
the influence of this party. By this they meant, that this 
sect was a set of " elisor ganizers ; breaking up old eccle- 
siastical organisms, disturbing the quiet of society, unset- 
tling everything, and settling nothing." There are men 
now living against whom these same things have been said, 
and they know something about the influence that such a 
charge has in stopping the ears of the people against a 
public teacher of religion. But all this, and much more 
that we can not now mention, was said of the religion 
party spoken of in our text. 

2. My second general proposition in reference to this sect 
is, that in the sight of God, this was the only true party — the 
only right church in the world. Yes, notwithstanding all 
parties opposed this religious body, yet God acknowledged 
it ; and it was the only church upon which he looked with 
approbation. To this proposition, I am sure no one objects. 
All say it is true. And should not this fact teach us to be 
very sparing of our condemnatory denunciations against any 
people claiming to be the disciples of Christ, lest haply we 
be found to fight against God? Thus, it often happens, 
that things that are highly esteemed of men are very 
lightly esteemed of God ; while things that men disapprove 
and unite in condemning, are very precious in the sight of 
God. 

3. My third proposition is, that God never authorized the 
existence of any other sect, or religious party. Are you 
ready to say that this is one proposition that you can not 
receive ? But when I tell you what I mean by divine 
authority, you will not object even to this statement. By 
divine authority, I mean Bible authority. All the divine 



64 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

authority that we now have for the performance of any 
religious act, is found in that blessed book. 

Now, I ask, where, in all the writings of the inspired 
apostles of Jesus Christ, do we find any command for form- 
ing any other sect than the one that was at this time 
everywhere spoken against? Where do we find even a clear 
license, or divine permit, to do such a thing? Every Bible 
student is ready to answer, just nowhere at all. Then our 
proposition stands uncontradicted. 

Now, if all this is true, and true it is, how important is 
it that we understand all the distinguishing peculiarities 
of that party. If it was the only right party at that time, 
and if God has never authorized the formation of any other 
religious party, we should surely be anxious to learn all the 
leading features of that sect. I speak after the manner 
of men. Feeling the importance of this subject, we will 
attempt to define that party — that old sect. And, while 
engaged in this investigation, I wish every other sect to be 
left out of view ; let us draw a vail over every other relig 
ious party, and especially the various sects that exist at the 
present time ; let us leave all these behind the curtain, 
while we attempt a description of that party that was every 
where spoken against, some eighteen hundred years ago. 

1. Their Greed. When we attempt a description of any 
religious party in our day, the first thing we inquire for is 
their creed. And when we have found that, we have made 
a pretty fair start towards learning the distinguishing fea- 
tures of the party. We inquire, then, for the creed of this 
ancient sect. And by their creed, I mean their book of 
religious faith and religious practice. Was it the Nicene 
creed ? You answer No, because that creed was not formed 
for some three hundred and fifty years after this sect had 
become so numerous as to be everywhere spoken against. 



THIS SECT. 65 

If then we unanimously decide that the Nicene creed was 
not the creed of that party, because of its youth, what shall 
we say of all church creeds which have been formed since ? 
Not one of these can be the creed of that ancient sect ; they 
are all too young, by many long centuries. 

Speaking on this subject, one who spoke by inspiration 
said : " All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is 
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for 
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be 
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. 
iii, 16, 17. This is said more in honor of their creed, than 
to describe it ; still, it points pretty clearly to the rule by 
which they regulated their religious practice. 

He who is addressed in our text as one well acquainted 
with all the usages of this old sect, said of its members : 
" Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, 
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. ?; 
Eph. ii, 19, 20. Now, as observed in a former discourse, 
the constitution of a church is its foundation. Well, as 
Christianity is a system of faith as well as practice, all 
church constitutions express the faith of the church organ- 
ized upon them. This expression of faith is called the creed 
of the church. Now, as this church was built upon the 
foundation of apostles and prophets, it was organized upon 
and governed by the teaching of these inspired men of God, 
and by that alone. Thus, we have found their creed — 
namely, the Holy Scriptures, given by divine inspiration. 

Now, to this position I believe there is not one dissent- 
ing voice in all the land. All, both Catholic and Prot- 
estant, agree that the church had no creed, no rules of faith 
or practice, at the beginning, nor for many long years after, 
6 



66 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

but the writings or teachings of the apostles and prophets 
of God. No controversy here. 

2. Their name. 

In describing a religious sect, it is very necessary to 
learn their name. Two churches sometimes adopt the 
same creed, and yet differ in name. I believe there are 
some five or six different sects that adopt the Westminster 
confession of faith. Hence, if you wish to know to which 
party a man belongs, it would not be enough to be told 
that his sect takes the above named creed. You could not 
tell from that whether he was a Covenanter, Seceder, or 
Old or New School Presbyterian. Hence we must, in such 
cases, inquire for the name of the sect. So, in pursuing 
our description of this ancient sect, we ask for its name. 

I learn from their creed, the holy Scriptures, that they 
were called in their collective capacity the church of God, 
the church of the Lord, the church of Christ. See 1 Cor. 
i, 1; Acts xx, 28; 1 Tim. iii, 5; Bom. xvi, 16 ; 1 Cor. 
xi, 16. In their individual capacity they were called saints, 
brethren, disciples of Christ, christians. See Eph. i, 1 ; 
Gal. vi, 1 ; Acts xx, 7 ; Acts xi, 26. Now, to any of these 
titles they would answer. Call them saints, and they 
would respond, Here am I ; call them disciples of Christ, 
and they would say, Speak, for thy servant heareth ; call 
them Methodist, Presbyterian, Campbellite, and they would 
be as silent as the grave ; but call them christians, and 
they would respond, Here I am; for though I suffer as a 
christian, I am not ashamed. Or should you speak to one 
of this old sect in reference to his church, he would say, he 
belonged to " the church of God at Oorinih" (1 Cor. i, 2), 
or the church of the Lord at some other place. 

Now this was name enough ; these titles, or any one of 
them, showed precisely where those who wore it, belonged. 



THIS SECT. 67 

Having then found the name of this old party, let us con- 
sider — 

3. Their officers, and church polity. 

This is a very essential part, always, in giving a descrip- 
tion of any religious body ; for churches differ more in 
polity, or religious politics, than in any thing else. Hence, 
you have never fully defined any church, until you have 
pointed out the officers and polity of the church. 

Let us then inquire into the officers of that sect that 
was every where spoken against. To learn the truth on 
this subject, we must go to their creed, the New Testament. 
From a careful examination of this Book, we have discov- 
ered that in that ancient church, there were bishops, dea- 
cons, and evangelists. The term elder, among them, 
meant older, or persons advanced in years — persons of age 
and experience — but as their bishops were all such men, 
this term is sometimes used in their book of faith and 
manners interchangeably with the term bishop. Hence, 
Paul " sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the 
church," to whom he delivered a very touching address, 
near the close of which he said : " Take heed, therefore, 
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the 
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers." Acts xx, 17-28. 

Now the word which is here rendered overseers, is epis- 
hopos, which is the same that is rendered bishop, wherever 
the term bishop occurs in the New Testament. We have 
a very similar expression in 1 Pet. v. 2 : " Feed the flock 
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof." 
Here we have the word episJcopee, which is defined in Lid- 
dell and Scott's English and Greek Lexicon, thus: "An 
overseeing, charge ; the office of an episkopos" Literally, 
feed the flock of God, exercising the bishop's office. Here, 
then, are two instances in which the elders are commanded 
to do the work of bishops, which shows that when the 



68 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

teachers in that old religious party used the term elder as 
an official title, they always applied it to the bishops or 
overseers of the church. 

In further evidence of this position, read Titus i, 5, 6, 
7 : " For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldst 
set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders 
in every city as I had appointed thee. If any be blame- 
less, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, 
not accused of riot, or unruly ; for a bishop must be blame- 
less, " etc. Why must the elders be of the character here 
described? Because a bishop must be blameless. Thus 
are the terms elder, presbnteros, and bishop, episkopos, em- 
ployed to express the same office, or work. 

The work which pertained to this office, according to the 
creed of this sect, was to oversee and feed the church ; to 
provide for the spiritual wants of the flock of God ; to rule 
well ; to keep things in order, and thus exercise a general 
oversight over the church, watching for the good of their 
souls, as they that must give account. And to them, or 
to their decisions and counsel, the members of the congre- 
gation were commanded to submit. See Acts xx, 28 ; 1 
Pet, v, 2 ; 1 Thess. v, 12 ; 1 Tim. v, 17; Heb. xiii, 7, 17. 

In every individual congregation belonging to the body 
of which we now speak, where the proper character could 
be found, they had a plurality of these bishops, or over- 
seers. ? Tis true, congregations existed for a time without 
such ordained rulers. Hence, Titus was left in Crete, to 
ordain elders in every city — which shows that there were 
churches in those cities — but there was something wanting ; 
they lacked the proper overseers, and therefore, Titus is 
left with them, for the purpose of supplying this lack, by 
ordaining elders in every city. The same fact appears in 
the 14th chapter of Acts. Here we have an account of a 
general tour made by Paul and Barnabas, on which tour 



THIS SECT. 69 

they visited many congregations ; and it is said, " when 
they had ordained them elders in every church, and had 
prayed with fasting, they commended thern to the Lord on 
whom they believed." Acts xiv, 23. I have quoted this 
Scripture to show that churches existed for a while, among 
the sect which was so generally spoken against, without 
elders ; but it also proves that when the proper character 
could be found, they had a plurality of ordained elders in 
every church or individual congregation. Here we have 
the church in the singular, and the elders in the plural. 
The same form of expression is found in Acts xx, 17 : Paul 
" sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church — 
church singular ; elders plural. 

Some of these official elders seem to have labored in 
word and doctrine, or, preached the gospel publicly, while 
others did not. Hence, the apostle says : " Let the elders 
that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially 
they who labor in word and doctrine." 1 Tim. v, 17. Those 
w 7 ho thus labored seem to have been particularly regarded 
as the pastors of the church — hence they were to have 
double honor. The w r ord which is here rendered honor is 
timee, which occurs forty-one times in the New Testament, 
and is translated in the common version, precious, once ; 
sum, once ; honor, thirty-one times, and. price, eight times. 
Greenfield defines it, " a price, value, a price paid, money, 
honor, i. e. state of honor, dignity, honor conferred, token 
of respect," etc. Most commentators think it means price 
or reward, in 1 Tim. v, 17: The reason why such elders 
were to have double pay was because they rendered double 
service ; they spent much time, labor and means in their 
devotion to the church, and therefore it was but just that 
they should be well sustained in the work, that they might 
give themselves wholly to it. 

One other remark in reference to these bishops. Their 



70 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

official power or work seeras to have been confined to the 
individual congregation to which they belonged. We never 
read in their creed or in their writings, of the bishop of 
the churches; but bishops of the church. See Phil, i, 1. Not 
one bishop to many churches, but many bishops to one 
church. Eeader, don't begin to look behind the curtain — 
behind which we concealed all modern sects a short time 
ago. Let them remain out of view as much as possible until 
we have completed our description of that ancient sect which 
is named in our text. 

2. The deacons, in this religious body, seem to have had 
the charge of all the temporal affairs of the congregations. 
In every organized body composed of flesh, and blood, and 
breath, there must necessarily be financial concerns. So, in 
the church of which we speak. The places where the con- 
gations assembled had to be lighted, warmed, and kept in 
order ; this required money. Then the poor were to be 
provided for, and the Lord's table was to be furnished. All 
this, and many other contingencies, required funds ; and 
this required men whose special business it should be to 
take charge of and oversee these matters. Such men were 
appointed in that old body, and they are, by common con- 
sent, called deacons. The word translated deacon, in the 
common version, is diakonos, which means " a minister, one 
who renders service to another, an attendant, servant." 
Gre. Lex. According to the " Englishman's Greek Con- 
cordance," this word occurs thirty times in the New Testa- 
ment. It is translated, in the king's version, minister, 
twenty times ; servant, seven times, and deacon, three times. 
But, it is worthy of remark, that they never applied this 
word to the bishops or elders of the church, notwithstand- 
ing they were servants of the church. Thus, it would seem 
that they intended by this word to express a particular class 
of servants. Such as served the church in reference to her 



THIS SECT. 71 

temporal affairs, were especially called deacons, though they 
may have also ministered the Word of Life to the people. 
The first account we have of setting persons apart to serve 
the church in this capacity, is recorded in Acts vi, 2-6. 
These men were set apart, by prayer and the laying on of 
hands, to serve the congregation, in raising, holding, and 
distributing the funds which were raised for the support of 
the poor, and especially poor widows. 

3. Evangelists. The term evangelist comes from the 
Greek word iiangelistus, which means, " one who announces 
glad tidings." To do the work of an evangelist, there- 
fore, is to preach the gospel, or announce to the world the 
good news concerning Christ. Such was Timothy, Titus, 
and many others who, in the days of the apostles, went 
forth to proclaim salvation to the people, to convert sinners 
to God, and to plant christian congregations. 

Now, what a beautiful arrangement this was. In every 
individual congregation were the bishops, overseeing the 
church, laboring for their spiritual welfare, settling their 
difficulties, instructing the ignorant, strengthening the 
weak, encouraging the fearful, seeking out and restoring the 
wandering, and building up all upon their most holy faith. 
Then, there were the deacons, superintending all the tem- 
poral affairs of the congregation ; seeing that the poor, the 
widows and orphans, were provided for, and that all the 
contributions of the brethren were properly and judiciously 
applied. And then, there were the evangelists, going like 
swift-winged messengers of light, bearing the news of sal- 
vation to a dying world ; turning them from darkness to 
light, and from the power of Satan to God ; planting new 
congregations, and thus enlarging the borders of Zion. 

Thus we see something of the offices and order of that 
sect which was every where spoken against. 

4. Their ordinances. In order to give a full description 



72 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

of any religious denomination, we must always inquire 
into their ordinances. Some parties agree in almost every 
thing but their ordinances. Some sprinkle water upon 
their members, while others immerse their members in 
water. Now this constitutes a very striking difference, 
which would distinguish these parties from each other, if 
they were alike in every thing else. 

Well, the church that we are endeavoring to describe, 
had its ordinances also. They observed one leading and 
important ordinance, which was sufficient of itself to dis- 
tinguish this party from every other sect upon earth. I 
think I may safely say, that among all the various relig- 
ious sects that then existed, or that ever had existed, 
human or divine, no such ordinance as this ever had existed. 
I ask, where was it ever known, that a religious sect ob- 
served a public ordinance in memory of the death of the 
founder of the party? The birth-days of kings, and of the 
founders of kingdoms and empires, have often been cele- 
brated by public festivals ; but did ever a nation thus cele- 
brate the day on which a benefactor died ? 

Such, however, is the nature of that distinguishing ordi- 
nance to which I now refer. It is sometimes called, in 
their book of faith and manners, The Lord's Supper; 
sometimes it is simply called the breaking of bread; and 
sometimes, the communion of the Lord's body, and of the 
Lord's blood. See 1 Cor. xi, 20 ; Acts xx, 7 ; 1 Cor. x, 
16. 

This ordinance was very simple in its form, but very 
powerful in its import. It consisted, simply, in giving 
thanks, breaking and eating of bread, and drinking from 
the cup the fruit of the vine, in memory of the broken 
body and shed blood of Jesus the Christ. There is one 
fact connected with the founder of this body of people, 
which accounts for this most unusual ordinance, and that 



THIS SECT. 73 

is, that though " he was put to death in the flesh, he was 
quickened by the spirit." Yes, he rose from the dead on 
the third glorious morn, and thus brought to light, life 
and immortality. Well then may his followers commem- 
orate his death, since by his death and resurrection he has 
secured salvation from sin, and eternal life to all who be- 
lieve in him and obey his holy commands. 

Am I asked on what day they attended to this signifi- 
cant ordinance ? They " came together on the first day 
of the week to break bread." Acts xx, 7. But do you 
ask on what first day? I answer on the first day. I can 
not learn from all the records they have left us of their 
customs, that they made any difference in Lord's days. 
The record does not say that they came together on a 
first day — or on some first day — but on the first day. As 
often, then, as the first day of the week came, they came 
together to observe this ordinance, and thus they commem- 
orated two of the most interesting events that have ever 
transpired since time commenced her march, conjointly : 
the death of Christ for our sins, and his resurrection for 
our justification. This of itself was enough to distinguish 
this sect from all others. 

This people practiced another ordinance, which was not 
so much an ordinance in the church as an initiatory rite into 
the church. This ordinance is called baptism. All the 
members of this sect were baptized. While defining this 
religious body, it may not be amiss to state that with them 
baptism was a burial. Hence, the apostle said, "you are 
buried with him by baptism." Eom. vi, 4; Col. ii, 12. 

5. Their manner of converting sinners, and adding them 
to the church ; or, to use a modern phrase, their manner of 
making Christians. 

Their practice in this matter was quite different from 

most of the other religious bodies around them The 

7 



74 ?HE FAMILY COMPANION. 

apostle Paul speaks of their practice, in the fourth chapter 
of 2d Corinthians, first negatively, and then affirmatively. 
He first tells what they did not do, and then what they did 
do. He says they " renounced the hidden things of dis- 
honesty." They used no unfair means to make proselytes ; 
they did not " walk in craftiness ; " they used no cunning 
trickery to seduce men into their party ; they renounced 
all the secret tricks, and cunning craftiness, and hidden 
mysteries, by means of which the leaders of other parties 
deceived the people. (See Eph. iv, 14). They pursued an 
open,, above-board, straight-forward course. They did not 
"handle the Word of God deceitfully P 

How may a man do this ? What is meant by handling 
the Word of God deceitfully ? I answer, by making it 
speak a language that the author did not intend ; or con- 
vey a different idea from what the Lord intended to convey. 
This may be done by taking parts of sentences from differ- 
ent portions of the Book, and putting them together under 
another arrangement. In this way a man can prove any- 
thing he pleases from the Bible. The Scripture says that 
Judas " went and hanged himself; " and Jesus says, " Go 
thou and do likewise.' 7 Now this is all Scripture, and what 
does it prove ? Why, that a man should hang himself. 
Now this is handling the Word of God deceitfully. 

The same may be done by suppressing a part of a sen- 
tence. Example : " Let him that stole, steal." Eph. iv, 
28. Now this is every word Scripture, and it proves that 
it is right to steal. But the apostle finishes the sentence 
with the words " no more;" " let him that stole, steal no 
more." Now the preachers in that old sect never handled 
the Word of the Lord in this way. They did not discon- 
nect and scrap the Word of God ; they did not handle it 
deceitfully, for the purpose of making proselytes. They 
gave God's Word fair play. By " manifestation of the 



THIS SECT. 75 

truth, they commended themselves to every man's con- 
science in the sight of God." They proclaimed the plain, 
unvarnished truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 
truth ; and thus, by " warning every man, and teaching 
every man," they reached the hearts and consciences of the 
people. 

But when they thus reached their conscience, until they 
were pierced in heart, and asked what they must do, 
what course did these teachers pursue ? What did they 
tell the poor, trembling, heart-smitten, anxious, inquir- 
ing, mourning seeker, to do ? Eeader, don't call from 
behind the curtain any sect now living, until we hear the 
direction of one of the leaders and teachers in the sect 
whose distinguishing features we are now endeavoring to 
set before you, given to persons in this very distressing 
state of mind. Hear it, reader, hear it with an honest 
heart: " Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of si?is, and you 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" Acts ii, 38. 

Now what did these mourning souls do ? Did they begin 
to object, and argue the case with the apostle ? Did they 
begin to inquire what good there was in water baptism ? 
No, verily. They were in good earnest ; they were honest 
before God. Hence it is said: "JThen they that gladly 
received his word, were baptized, and the same day were 
added unto them about three thousand souls." Ver. 41. 
Here, then, is a practical illustration of their whole process 
of making christians and adding them to the church. 

Now we are prepared to contemplate this ancient sect in 
all its parts. It now stands out before us in bold relief. 
We have found its creed, its name, its officers and polity, 
its ordinances, and its manner of converting sinners and 
adding them to the church. We have seen that all who 



76 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

became members of this religious body, heard the Word 
until it was commended to their hearts ; and that they 
then repented of their sins, and were baptized. Mark this 
well. They were all obedient believers. 

Now, I feel very confident that no man who professes 
faith in Christ, or in his word, will dispute one proposition 
that we have made, or one of the distinguishing features that 
we have pointed out in the religious party that we have 
been describing ; unless it be the very last sentence which 
I penned in the description. But if any doubt the truth 
of that statement, w r e must leave them to their own mus- 
ings, only requesting them to examine that proposition 
very carefully, before making a final decision. 

We now have one important question to answer, after 
which we shall close this discourse. Does that ancient sect 
now exist ? Is it still standing — or has it waxed old, like 
a garment, and vanished away ? Have the desolating rav- 
ages of ambitious man — which have uprooted kingdoms, 
desolated countries, blotted from existence churches, and 
changed times and seasons — slain that old party of which 
we have been speaking ? Has the ever rolling wave of 
time swept it away forever — or does it still maintain a 
visible existence among the myriads of ecclesiastical organ- 
isms of the present day ? These, gentle reader, are im- 
portant questions. If, as you have admitted, that old sect 
was the only right party at that time, and if there is no 
Bible authority for the existence of any other religious 
party or body, then it is important to know whether that 
party is dead or alive. We then repeat the question, does 

THAT PARTY NOW EXIST ? 

Yes, says the Boman Catholic, it still exists. Here it 
is ; we are that same old sect, come down in regular suc- 
cession from the apostles. We have the regular apostolic 



THIS SECT. 77 

succession, and therefore are the same body of people ; and 
all who desire to be members of the real, genuine, old 
mother church, should join us. 

But I hear an objection — a deep-toned, thundering voice, 
like the sound of many waters — crying out, No, no ! we 
are the true party. We are the same old sect that was 
every where spoken against ; we have the true and regular 
apostolic succession. This voice comes from the Protestant 
Episcopalian Church, or the high church of England. But 
if this is true, she must have changed her position since 
our text was written, for then it was the low church spoken 
against all over the country. But it is not my object to 
settle the question as to which is or which is not the true 
church. I only make this suggestion in passing. 

I suppose, however, that it is a well known fact, that 
there is a controversy now going on between the Eoman 
Catholics and Episcopalians, on the subject of the succes- 
sion. Each seems to admit that if they can not trace 
their church organization and their ministerial ordination 
through an unbroken chain back to the apostles, their 
church fails to be the church of Christ ; that it is an un- 
authorized sect ; a figment broken off from the true church 
or body of Christ. 

The Protestant Episcopal Church reasons thus : They 
say that the church is no more a new church after the 
efforts of Henry the Eighth, than a man is a new man 
when he falls into a mud puddle and then washes himself 
clean. He may look very different, but still he is the 
same man. So they say it was with the church. They 
admit that the church had become very corrupt ; that it 
was much defiled by sin; but that Henry VIII., of Eng- 
land, cleansed the church, washing off its impurities ; and 
that these excrescences gathered themselves together, and 
by some unholy principle of adhesion, formed the Eoman 



78 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Catholic Church ! This, however, is denied by the church 
of Borne. She contends that she is the only holy and 
apostolic church, and that Henry was excommunicated for 
his worldly ambition and fleshly lusts, and his w r ant of 
fidelity to his legal wife. 

Bat while these two great religious bodies are contend- 
ing for the apostolic succession, each endeavoring to defend 
its title to primitive ground, I hear the muttering sound 
of voices, as of a mighty multitude all in confusion, crying 
out and saying, You are both wrong ; we are the old sect ; 
we have come dow^n in a regular line from apostolic times. 
But when pressed at this point, I find most of them deny- 
ing the succession, as claimed by the churches of Rome 
and England ; and contending that every man has a right 
to make his own church, and found his own church 
polity ! ! 

Beader, are you a Protestant? Then I know your course 
of reasoning, when you are examining the claims of the 
church of Borne to being the sect spoken of in our text. 
You first ascertain all the leading features of that old 
party, and then you compare these with the leading peculi- 
arities of the church as it now exists ; and if these do not 
correspond, you say the churches are not the same. Sup- 
pose, for illustration, that some leading member of the 
Methodist Church should assume that the Methodist Church 
is the real old Baptist Church, that had come down in reg- 
ular succession from the days of Boger Williams. You 
would reply, This can not be ; as a church, you have a 
different creed, a different name, different officers, different 
ordinances, and you have a different mode of receiving 
members ; therefore, being different from the Baptists in 
all these points, it can not be the same church. 

Just so, you reason the case with the Bomish church. 
You bring up before your mind all the leading, distinguish- 



THIS SECT. 79 

ing features of that old church that was so generally spoken 
against in the beginning, just as I have done in this dis- 
course, and then you compare these items with the corres- 
ponding items in the Romish church, and finding such a 
great difference, you decide that that is not the same 
church. You say the Romish church has a very different 
creed and system of church polity from that old sect ; that 
it is different in name ; and as to officers, it has swarms 
of these that were unknown in that old church ; and as to 
ordinances, you say there is no resemblance between them 
at all. Now, you say, with all these differences, it can not 
be the same church. 

In all this, my dear reader, you are correct. Your rea- 
sonings are logical and fair, and your conclusions just and 
true. 

Now, all that we ask of one who may be desirous to know 
the truth on this subject, is for him to adopt the same 
course of reasoning in every case, when attempting to ascer- 
tain w T hich is the sect that is named in our text. Bring up 
all these leading features, and compare them with those of 
any denomination now claiming succession from that old 
religious body, and I will be satisfied with the result. 
Whenever you find a religious body, or church, organized 
upon, and governed by the same creed and church laws, and 
by them alone, called by the same name, having the same 
officers, with the same powers — practising the same ordi- 
nances, and using the same means for the conversion of 
sinners — telling the penitent believer to do the same things 
for remission, and receiving members into the church in the 
same way that that old party did — you have then found the 
same sect, the same religious body. Yes, this is the true 
s-uccession. It is not a succession of ordination, or of ordained 
ministers, but a succession of faith and practice, that makes 
the true, holy, apostolic succession. 



80 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Should a company of persons, who never saw a Bible or 
a priest, be shipwrecked, and cast upon some uninhabited 
island ; should they there find a Bible containing both Tes- 
taments, and by reading it, they all become firm believers 
in Christ, the son of God, and the divine Saviour — suppose 
then, that one of the company baptizes one of the number, 
and he, in turn, baptizes the rest : suppose, then, that they 
adopt that holy book, containing the teaching of the apostles 
and prophets of God, as their only rule of faith and prac- 
tice ; they appoint their bishops and deacons, according to 
that book, and proceed to keep the ordinances as they were 
delivered by the apostles : that would be, to all intents and 
purposes, the same body of people — not the same persons, 
but the same religious organism. It would be the regular, 
pu , and holy apostolic church. 

Now, I am not going to make the application. My object 
has been to prepare the reader of this discourse to make the 
application himself. I have endeavored to develop great, 
important principles — principles, the truth of which is 
uncontroverted — hoping that the reader will have interest 
enough in the subject of church standing to give the subject 
a careful examination, and honesty of heart, and nobility 
of soul, sufficient to enable him to act according to the 
honest convictions of his own mind, enlightened by truth 
divine, on the great subject of Christianity. 

Beader, this is no ordinary subject. The importance of 
this theme overreaches the cold boundaries of time, and lays 
hold on things eternal and invisible. Your interests in 
two worlds depend upon your action in the premises. O, 
then, be honest with yourself, your conscience, your Bible, 
your God, and act for eternity while you may. 



SEEMON IV. 

THE NAME. 

And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. 

Acts xi, 26. 

Having spoken, in this series of discourses, on the new 
church in contrast with the old Jewish kingdom, and hav- 
ing considered that church under the figure of the human 
body, of which Christ is the head, and having pointed out 
some of the leading features or distinguishing characteris- 
tics of the church of Christ, as a sect that was everywhere 
spoken against — in doing which, we have laid down some 
plain rules, by which the true church may always be known, 
we propose now to speak expressly of the name Christian, 
as the great family name of this religious association. This 
title was merely referred to in the preceding sermon, but 
we now propose to make it the subject of a separate dis- 
course. 

Without stating any particular order to be observed in 
this lecture, we proceed to observe, 

I. That the term Christian is derived from the term 
Christ. The term Christ is translated from the Greek 
word Jcristos, which means anointed. 6 Xpt<TTo<; : the Christ, 
the anointed one. Seeing, then, that the term Christian 
is derived from the term Christ, which means anointed, may 
not. all who wear this name scripturally, or who are scrip- 
turally entitled to it, be regarded as the anointed people 

(81) 



82 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

of God? Under the old covenant, all the priests were 
anointed with holy oil. Under the new covenant, all the 
covenanted people of God are regarded as priests. Peter 
says : " You are a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sac- 
rifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ." 2 Peter ii, 9. 
Then are not these spiritual priests anointed ? Their name, 
Christian, indicates that they are. To this holy anointing 
the apostle John refers, when he says : " You have an 
unction, [Jcrisma, that with which any one is anointed, an 
anointing], and ye know all things." 1 John ii, 20. See 
also, verse 27. 

Now, there was a very great sacredness attached to 
anointing, under the Old Testament dispensation. I remem- 
ber, on one occasion, when Saul was seeking the life of King 
David, having heard that " David had hid himself in the 
hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon," that he 
marched his army of " three thousand chosen men," into 
the wilderness of Zeph, and pitched his tent " in the hill 
of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon." Wearied with the 
march, he and his army lay down to rest, leaving Abner, 
his captain, to keep guard ; but he also fell into deep 
sleep. 

David, seeing their position and condition, from the hill, 
took Abishai, and went even unto Saul. There he lay, 
wrapped up in profound sleep, and there lay his entire army 
in the same condition. " Then Abishai said to David, God 
hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day ; there- 
fore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to 
the earth at once." "And David said to Abishai, Destroy 
him not, for who can stretch forth his hand against the 
Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?" They took Saul's 
spear, and the cruse of water from his head, and left him 
to enjoy his sleep. Thus, notwithstanding Saul was 
anointed without a direct warrant from God, and though 



THE NAME. 83 

he bad been pursuing David for a long time, fully bent 
upon his death, yet even when David had him completely 
in his power, he would not touch him, just because he had 
been anointed. Addressing Saul afterward, he said, " Tbe 
Lord delivered thee into my hand to-day, but I would not 
stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed." 1 
Sam. xxvi, 3-23. 

This chapter contains a very important lesson, which all 
would do well to study ; but I have merely referred to it 
to show how sacred this anointing was regarded. Hence 
God said, " Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets 
no harm." 1 Chron. xvi, 22. Then, if christians are God's 
anointed ones, as their name teaches, O how sacred are 
they in his sight ! If his ancient people, who were only 
a type of christians, were to him as dear as the apple of 
his eye, w r hat must be his tender care for those who are 
his according to the stipulations of the new and better cov- 
enant ? Who would not be a christian, in view of this 
glorious fact ? 

2. This name is a name of distinction, intended to dis- 
tinguish those who wear it from all other people. Indeed, 
this is the only use we have for names. We use proper 
names for the purpose of distinguishing one person or thing 
from another person or thing. Doubtless this is the rea- 
son why the Lord, in the beginning, permitted our father 
Adam to give names to all the cattle, and fowls of the air, 
and beasts of the field. This was done, so that in all 
coming time, every kind of living creature might be dis- 
tinguished by name. 

Well, the same is true in reference to organized socie- 
ties. Whether the society be literary, political, or relig- 
ious, it must have a name, so it may be known when it is 
spoken to, or spoken of. ISFow when this new man, or 
church, was set up, there were very many religious sects 



84 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and parties in the world, and each of these had its respect- 
ive name ; hence it was necessary that this church should 
also have its name. It is also worthy of remark, that 
ancient names usually expressed some quality, or circum- 
stances connected with the persons or things to which they 
were applied. Adam means earthly, red; Moses, taken 
out of the water ; Herod, the glory of the skin ; Phari- 
sees, separatists, etc. How natural, then, that this new 
church should be called christian, which would not only dis- 
tinguish it from all other parties then in existence, or that 
ever should come into being, but that by this significant 
title, the purity of their hearts and lives might be ex- 
pressed, and they pointed out as the anointed children of 
God. 

3. The term christian is intended to point out those who 
bear it as the property of Christ. It implies that they 
are not their own, but that they belong to Christ, being 
bought with his precious blood. Peter, in giving directions 
to the elders, says they should not discharge their duties 
"for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither as being 
lords over- God's heritage, but being examples to the flock." 
1 Pet. v, 3. In this Scripture, the church is called the 
heritage of God. The term which is here rendered heri- 
tage, is Jcleeros, which occurs thirteen times in the New 
Testament. It is translated in the common version, lot 
eight times, part twice, inheritance twice, and heritage 
once — namely, in the Scripture just quoted. This word 
literally means a lot Dr. McKnight, in his note upon 
this verse, says " the word ylrjpot; properly signifies a lot 
But because the land of Canaan was divided among the 
Israelites by lot, the word came to signify an heritage. 
Wherefore, believers being God's people, or portion, the 
different churches, or congregations for worship, are called 
here God's heritage. In process of time, the name yjypoc, 



THE NAME. 85 

clergy, was appropriated to the ministers ot the gospel, 
because, being considered as the successors of the Levitical 
priests, they were regarded as God's lot, or portion." 

Yes, christian reader, that is the way this term became 
the exclusive title of preachers. At the beginning, it was 
not so. The Lord's people is his portion, over whom these 
elders were not to act as lords ; for the apostle says, " not 
as being lords over God's heritage," God's lot, or clergy. 
Every true and faithful disciple of Christ belongs to the 
clergy ; and hence it is a very presumptuous procedure for 
any class of men to appropriate this title exclusively to 
themselves. But I know no one name, ever used as the 
name of an organized body of people, that points out those 
to whom it is applied as the people of God, with so little 
circumlocution as the name christian. 

But I fear that all who bear this name, do not always 
consider this truth as they should. Do you, christian 
reader, when you call yourself a christian — or when you 
speak of yourself as belonging to the christian congrega- 
tion — appreciate the fact that you are not your own — that 
you are the property of the Lord — and therefore, that you 
ought to " glorify him in your body and spirit, which are 
his?" 

4. The name christian is a catholic name, intended 
to swallow up all other ecclesiastical titles. As we have 
seen, there were many religious parties, when Christ came 
into our world, and each party had its respective re- 
ligious cognomen ; but the church which Jesus built, was 
intended to embrace the good of all parties, hence this 
new, catholic body, should be called by a truly catholic 
name, which would apply alike to the members of this 
new body, or church, wherever found. Such is the name 
christian. 

When a Jew was baptized into this body, he left his 



86 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

former name on the other side of the baptismal wave, and 
arose on the Lord's side of the line that separated them 
that serve the Lord from them that serve him not, bearing 
the simple name christian. When a Gentile obeyed the 
gospel, he left his old name behind, and was now known 
as a christian. This great family title swallowed up 
all others, and designated the people of God without any 
accompanying, qualifying terms. 

Antioch, too, seems to have been the most fitting place 
to first bestow that name, this being the first christian con- 
gregation which was composed of persons from both nations. 
In Jerusalem, and the regions round about, there were con- 
gregations of disciples of Christ, formed exclusively of 
believing Jews. In Samaria, many of the Samaritans 
"believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the 
name of Jesus Christ, and were baptized." At the house 
of Cornelius, many of the Gentiles embraced the truth, 
and became the disciples of Christ. Still, they kept up a 
kind of division between Jew and Gentile. Bat in Anti- 
och, these two were made visibly one. Here was a congre- 
gation formed of members from both nations, and hence 
it was right, it was appropriate, to give the great family 
name at this place; and therefore, u the disciples were 
called christians first in Antioch." 

5. My fifth proposition in reference to this important 
name, is that it is a patronymic name. I mean by this, that 
it is intended to refer to the founder of the church and the 
author of our holy religion. A patronymic name simply 
means " a name of men or women, derived from that of 
their parents or ancestors," (Webster). But the names of 
states, kingdoms, cities, societies, or churches, derived from 
the founders of these organisms, are also patronymics. 
Pennsylvania is a patronymic name, and refers to William 
Penn, the honest old Quaker from whom the State was 



THE NAME. 87 

named ; Washington, when applied to the capital of the 
United States, is a patronymic name, referring to that cele- 
brated chieftain who is so justly styled the Father of his 
Country. So, the name Lutheran is a patronymic name, 
derived from the great reformer, Martin Luther, who is 
regarded as the founder of that religious denomination 
that is called by that name. Wesleyan is another name 
of the same sort. 

So, the name Christian is a patronymic name, derived 
from Christ, the builder of the church, (see Matt, xvi, 18), 
and the author of the religion of the New Testament. 
All such names have a commemorative influence. As long 
as towns and cities are called Washington, the name of 
that great man will never be forgotten ; as long as there 
is a religious denomination called Lutherans, so long will 
the name of that mighty reformer be handed down to pos- 
terity. Should all the records of the sayings and doings 
of Martin Luther be buried in oblivion, yet would his name 
be repeated and remembered every time the name of that 
church is called ; and those who wear the name would still 
talk to each other and to their children of the deeds of 
the reformer ; and thus he would still be remembered by 
his followers. 

So, the name Christian carries the name of Christ in its 
own bosom, and as long as there is a people on earth called 
by that name, the author and finisher of the christian's 
system of faith can never be forgotten. 

This can not be said of any other church name known 
to me. The name Episcopalian would remind one of bish- 
ops ; the name Presbyterian would remind one of aged 
persons, or elders, as officials in the church ; the name 
Methodist would suggest the idea of a body of persons 
who work by method ; but not one of these ever directs 
the thoughts to Christ, the Son of the living God. And 



88 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

even the scriptural" names — brethren, saints, disciples — 
without some adjunct, would not do it. These are scriptu- 
ral terms, and no disciple of Christ should be ashamed to 
wear them ; but still, the pronunciation of them does not 
so directly lift the thoughts to Christ, as the simple appel- 
lative, Christian. No wonder that the apostle should say, 
" If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, 
but let him glorify God on this account." 1 Pet. iv, 16. 

6. This name Christian seems to have been given by di- 
vine authority. This is my sixth proposition in reference 
to this consecrated name. 

This seems to be reasonable. If Christ built the church ; 
if he gave its constitution, and laws, and ordinances — if he 
is the head of the church — is it not reasonable that he 
should name it ? 

I will here introduce some remarks of the very learned 
Dr. A. Clark, upon this subject. As he was a minister of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, he can not be supposed to 
have any sectarian or traditionary partialities for this 
name. In his notes upon Acts xi, 26, he says : " The word 
chreematisai, in our common text, which we translate were 
called, signifies, in the New Testament, to appoint, warn, 
or nominate, by divine direction. In this sense, the word 
is used, Matt, ii, 12 ; Luke ii, 26 ; and in Acts x, 22. If, 
therefore, the name was given by divine appointment, it is 
most likely that Paul and Barnabas were directed to give 
it, and that, therefore, the name Christian is from God, as 
well as that grace and holiness which are essentially re- 
quired and implied in the character. Before this time, the 
Jewish converts were simply called, among themselves, dis- 
ciples, i. e., scholars ; believers, saints, the church, or assem- 
bly ; and by their enemies, Nazarenes, Galileans, the men 
of this ivay, or sect; and perhaps by other names which 
are not come down to us. They considered themselves as 






THE NAME. 89 

one family, and hence the appellation of brethren was fre- 
quent among them. It was the design of God to make 
all who believed, of one heart and one soul, that they might 
consider him as their Father, and live and love like child- 
ren of the same household, A Christian, therefore, is the 
highest character which any human being can bear upon 
earth ; and to receive it from God, as these seem to have 
done, how glorious the title ! " 

Again, the Doctor says in his general remarks at the end 
of the chapter: "It appears that christian was the first 
general appellation of the followers of the blessed Lord, 
and there is presumptive evidence, as we have seen, that 
this appellative came by divine appointment. How very 
few of those who profess this religion are satisfied w T ith 
this title. That very church that arrogates all to itself, 
has totally abandoned this title, and its members call 
themselves Roman Catholic, which is absurd ; because the 
adjective and substantive include opposite ideas : catho- 
lic signifies universal, and Roman signifies belonging to 
Rome. If it be merely Roman, it can not be catholic — if 
it be catholic, it can not be confined to Eome : but it is not 
catholic or universal, in any sense of the word, for it con- 
tains but a small part of the people who profess Christian- 
ity. The term protestant has more common sense in it, 
but not much more piety. Almost all sects and parties 
proceed in- the same line ; but Christian is a title seldom 
heard of, and the spirit and practice of Christianity but 
rarely occur. When all return to the spirit of the gospel, 
they will probably resume the appellative of Christian." 

I have introduced this long quotation from Dr. Clark, 
for three purposes : 

1. To show to the reader of this discourse, the reasons 
which the Doctor had for thinking that the name Christian 
was given by divine authority, and thus to place this great 



90 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and good man in favor of the proposition now under con- 
sideration. 

2. To present his views of the cause which led to an 
abandonment of this name as a church name, and the 
adoption of other, sectarian, and unauthorized titles. He 
says, " When all return to the spirit of the gospel, they 
will probably resume the appellative Christian" This 
shows that this name was dispensed with by a departure 
from the spirit of the gospel. This is the unvarnished 
truth in the case. The Doctor's criticism on the name 
Roman Catholic is very just, and true, and forcible; but, 
with the same skill and learning which he employed, many 
other church names might be shown to be as inconsistent. 
There is the name Protestant Episcopal church. The Dr. 
admits that the name Protestant has not much more piety 
in it than the name Roman Catholic. But take the entire 
name, and what does it mean? Protestant means " one 
of the party who adhered to Luther, at the Reformation in 
1529, and protested against a decree of Emperor Charles 
V. and the Diet of Spires ; and appealed to a general 
council," (Webster). Episcopal is translated from episkopos, 
which means overseer ; church is from eJcklesia, which means 
assembly, congregation. Then Protestant Episcopal Church 
would signify a congregation of overseers protesting against 
a decree of Charles V ! Methodist Episcopal Church would 
mean a congregation of overseers, all acting by method. 
Baptist Church means a congregation of baptizers. How 
much more does either of the above examples accord with 
truth and consistency, than the name Roman Catholic ? 

3. But my third object in introducing the Dr.'s testi- 
mony, was to show his views of the use that will likely be 
made of the name Christian, "when all return to the spirit 
of the gospel" From what he says, he must have believed 
in a time to come, when all true believers in Christ will 



THE NAME. 91 

return to the spirit of tlie gospel ; and that when that 
time comes, all these party names will be laid aside, and 
the followers of the blessed Saviour will be simply called 
Christians. And 0, who does not long to see such a time? 
Then, as at the beginning, if any man shall say, I am a 
Christian, all will know his religious position. It will not 
have to be asked, What church do you belong to ? The 
name Christian will show. 

It may not be improper to notice the two passages of 
scripture referred to by Dr. Clark, to illustrate or confirm 
the meaning which he has attached to the Greek word 
XpTjfjiaTcaac. These are, Matt, ii, 12 ; Luke ii, 26 ; Acts 
x, 22. In the first, the name of God is not found in the 
original — the whole phrase, warned of God, is translated 
from the simple word kreematizo. The same is true in re- 
ference to Acts x, 22. The word is rendered revealed, in 
Luke ii, 26, and the Holy Spirit is named as the agent by 
whom the revelation was made ; but an admonition made by 
the Holy Spirit is of the same divine authority as if made 
by the Heavenly Father himself. These examples show 
very clearly that the king's translators understood this 
term kreematizo to signify, as Greenfield has defined it, 
" in the New Testament, to impart a divine warning, or 
admonition, give instructions or directions under the guid- 
ance of inspiration." 

This word occurs nine times in the New Testament, and 
is translated, in the common version, warned of, or from, 
God, four times ; revealed, once ; called, twice ; that spake, 
once ; and admonished, once. In all these occurrences of 
the word, there are but two that admit of any doubt as to 
the fact that the warning, revealing, or speaking came by 
divine authority. These are Eom. vii, 3, and Acts xi, 26. 
In Eom. vii, 3, " she shall he called an adulteress," surely 
means more than that she shall be so stvled bv her enemies, 



92 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

or by the people ; it signifies that she shall be so called 
ly the will of God. So I think in our text it means that 
the disciples ivere called Christians by the divine authority 
which Paul and Barnabas received from God. 

In further proof of the proposition that 'the name Chris- 
tian is of divine origin, we will compare Amos ix, 12, with 
Acts xv, 16, 17. The former reads thus : "At that day, 
I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen down, 
and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his 
ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that they 
may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen 
which are called by my name. 7 ' The latter reads : " After 
this, I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of 
David, which is fallen down ; and I will build again the 
ruins thereof, and will set it up; that the residue of men 
might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom 
my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these 
things." 

1. My first remark upon these scriptures is, that what- 
ever is done, or is to be done, in fulfillment of them, is the 
work of the Lord, for it is here declared that " the Lord 
doeth all these things" 

2. The apostles understood Amos ix, 12, -to apply to the 
Christian church in the gospel dispensation. At the time 
the apostle James made this quotation, the apostles and 
elders of the church at Jerusalem were sitting in solemn 
council, deliberating on one of the most important questions 
that had ever disturbed the church of God. That question 
was : May the Gentiles become Christians, and be saved, 
without being circumcised — without becoming Jews by pro- 
selytism? In order to prove that the Gentiles may be 
saved without being circumcised, and keeping the law of 
Moses, James quotes Amos ix, 12. The heathen, in Amos, 
and the Gentiles, in Acts, mean the same people. 



THE NAME. 93 

Now, if James had not understood the prophecy of Amos 
to apply to the church of Christ in the gospel day, he could 
not have used this scripture in defense of his position. 
And' had the other apostles believed that this prophecy had 
a literal meaning, and is to be fulfilled at some far-distant 
day, they surely would have made their objection to James' 
application of it. But we hear of no such objection, hence 
we must conclude that they were all of one mind upon this 
subject. 

3. We see that, according to this prophecy, the Lord's 
people were to be called by his name, in the gospel dispen- 
sation. To be " called by my name" as in Amos, and 
" upon whom my name is called" as in Acts, mean the same 
thing. 

Now, I ask, how is it that the Lord's people were to be 
called by his name ? Are they so called now ? Or, have 
they ever been ? What is meant by being called by His 
name ? 

In answer to this question, and in further illustration of 
the position now assumed, I will here introduce a quotation 
from the learned and pious B. W. Stone, who now rests in 
Paradise : 

" The Greek verb epikaleomai is both in the passive and 
middle voice, and signifies both passive and active. In the 
New Testament, when its passive voice occurs, it uniformly 
signifies surnamed, or called — when its middle voice occurs, 
it as uniformly signifies to invoke, call upon, or appeal to. 

" I will bring to view the texts in the New Testament 
where the passive of this verb is used, and commonly trans- 
lated surnamed. Matt, x, 3 : ' And Lebbeus, whose sur- 
name was Thaddeus.' Luke xx, 3 : * Then entered Satan 
into Judas, surnamed Iscariot.' Acts i, 23 : ' And they 
appointed two, Joses called Barsabas, who was surnamed 



94 THE FAMILY COMPANION, 

Justus. 7 Acts iv, 36 : * And Joses, who by the apostles was 
surnamed Barnabas/ Acts x, 5 : ' And now send men to 
Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter/ 
The same phrase occurs in the 18th and 32d verses," and 
also in chap, xi, 13. Acts xii, 12 : ' He came to the house 
of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark/ 
The same occurs in the 25th verse. Acts xv, 22 : * Judas, 
surnamed Barsabas/ James says (ii, 7) : 'Do they not 
blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called?' or sur- 
named, for it is the same word." Undoubtedly, this name 
blasphemed was Christ, or Christians. Now, reader, notice. 
" The prophet Amos says (ix, 12) : 6 And of all the heathen 
which are called by my name/ James quotes this passage 
in Acts xv, 17, thus : 'And all the Gentiles upon whom my 
name is called/ This demonstrably proves that the phrase 
to he called by my name is the same as upon vjhom my name 
is called. 

" This phraseology is of frequent occurrence in the Old 
Testament, and signifies there, surnames, attached to their 
proper names. Israel was one of those names ; for in this 
name is El, the Hebrew name for God. This was the 
name given by the Lord to Jacob, and by this name were 
all his children called — the children of Israel. Thus, the 
phrase, The Gentiles who are called by thy name, or, On 
whom thy name is called, is the same as that ' by which ye 
are called/ or surnamed, which all must agree to be Chris- 
tian, after Christ."— [Chr. Mess., vol. U, pp. 161, 162. 

Then to be called by the Lord's name, according to Amos 
ix, 12, is to be called Christian. To make this matter more 
plain, read Dan. ix, 19 : " O Lord, hear ; Lord, forgive ; 
Lord, hearken and do ; defer not, for thine own sake, 
my God, for thy city and thy people are called by thy 
name." Now, on what other principle was this true, except 



THE NAME. 95 

the one that was named above. M, one of the Hebrew 
names for God, is incorporated in the word Israel ; hence, 
whenever the name Israel was pronounced, the name of God 
was pronounced. When God gave Jacob this name, he 
placed his own name upon him. Well, then, might tha 
prophet say: " Thy people are called by thy name" 

So, the name of Christ is embosomed in the name Chris- 
tian; and hence, whenever that name is pronounced, the 
name of Christ is spoken. Surely the apostle had reference 
to this fact when he said : " If you be reproached for the 
name of Christ, happy are you." 1 Pet. iv, 14. Accord- 
ing to this same apostle, to suffer as a Christian, and to 
suffer for the name of Christ, is the same thing. He says, 
if ye are reproached for the name of Christ, you are 
happy. " But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as 
a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's 
matters ; yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not 
be ashamed." Thus are the phrases "for the name of 
Christ" and "as a Christian" used interchangeably, as both 
meaning the same thing. 

The same fact is referred to by the apostle, when he 
says : <; Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before 
the judgment seat? Do they not blaspheme that worthy 
name by the which you are called?" James ii, 6, 7. This 
worthy name was surely the name of Christ or Christian, 
by which they were called. How appropriate, then, was 
the response of the king, when he had heard the argument 
of Paul in favor of Christianity : "Almost thou persuadest 
me to be a Christian." Acts xxvi, 28. The king was almost 
persuaded to receive the Christian faith, adopt the Chris- 
tian's course of life, and take upon him that worthy name 
by which the disciples of Christ were called. But, alas, he 
was only almost persuaded. And how many go this far, 
and yet die in their sins ! 



96 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

The prophet Isaiah, fired with the spirit of inspiration, 
looked forward to the gospel day, and said : " You shall 
leave your name for a curse unto my chosen, for the 
Lord shall slay thee, and call his servants by another 
name." And again : " Thou shalt be called by a new 
name which the mouth of the Lord shall name." Isaiah 
lxv, 15; lxii, 2. Now, I ask, what is this new name? Dr. 
Clark says this new name is Christian. If he is correct, 
then the name Christian is given by the mouth of the Lord. 

If this new name is not Christian, then this prophecy has 
never been fulfilled ; for this is the only new name by which 
the people of God were called in the New Testament. They 
are called saints, because of the purity of their hearts and 
lives, but this is an Old Testament name. They were 
called brethren, but this is no new name. David said: 
" Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to 
dwell together in unity." Ps. cxxxiii, 1. They were called 
disciples, but this name was known to the Old Testament 
saints, and was also applied to students of the different 
schools of philosophy. Indeed, I remember no new name 
by which the followers of the Lord were called, save the 
name Christian. It was a NEW name, emphatically ; a 
name unknown to Jew or Gentile until Paul and Barnabas 
had assembled with the church at Antioch a whole year, 
and had taught much people. Then it was, while these 
divinely authorized teachers were fully instructing the peo- 
ple in the holy will of God, that the disciples were called 
Christians first Then was fulfilled the word of the Lord, 
which saith : " You shall be called by a new name, 

WHICH THE MOUTH OF THE LORD SHALL NAME." 

I will now proceed to answer some objections to making 
this the name of the church, and to considering it a name 
of divine origin. 

1. It may be objected, that if it can be proven that this 



THE NAME. 97 

name came by divine direction, as the surname, or family- 
name, of the Lord's people, then we should discontinue 
every other New Testament name. But I can not see why 
this should be so. The Lord changed the name of Jacob to 
Israel, but he was often called Jacob after that, and even 
his descendants were called Jacob, as a national title. 
" The Lord's portion is his people ; Jacob is the lot of his 
inheritance/' (Deut. xxxii, 9), was said near three hundred 
years after Jacob's name was changed to Israel by divine 
authority. Why, then, may not the followers of Christ 
answer to any name that was acknowledged by the disciples 
of Christ in the days of the apostles, and still regard the 
name Christian as the great family name which the mouth 
of the Lord hath named ? Paul addressed the members of 
the church as saints, the servants of God, the beloved breth- 
ren, and yet he said: "I bow my knees to the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven 
and earth is named." Eph. iii, 14, 15. This must mean 
that the family was named Christian, after Christ. 

2. But it is said by those who wish to justify themselves 
in wearing other and unscriptural names, the name Christian 
was given to the disciples of Christ by their enemies, as a 
name of reproach. 

Now, I can not see any reason for such a conclusion. 

They were called by some names by their enemies out of 

contempt, but we never read of any apostle or disciple 

acknowledging these names. Can you suppose, dear reader, 

that if the apostle Peter had known that this name came 

from the enemies of the cause of Christ, he would have 

left it on record for the comfort of the Lord's people to the 

end of time : " H any man suffer as Christian, let him not 

be ashamed, but let him glorify God on that behalf," or 

account? Why did he not say, If any man suffer as a 

Nazarene? Because he would not give countenan.ce to 
9 



98 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

a name which had been hurled at him and his brethren oat 
of contempt. 

When King Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost thou per- 
suadest me to be a Christian," would the apostle have given 
countenance to that name, as he did, had he known that it 
originated in the dark, black hearts of the children of the 
wicked one ? Suppose some of our brethren should be preach- 
ing to a congregation, and while urging the holy claims 
of Christianity upon his audience, one should arise and say : 
" Well, sir, you have almost persuaded me to be a Camp- 
bellite," would he be likely to reply : " I would to God 
that you, and all who hear me to-day, were not only almost, 
but altogether, such as I am " ? By no means. If he 
thought the man sincere, but ignorant of the right way of 
the Lord, he would be likely to say : " My dear friend, I 
am not trying to make Campbellites ; I only desire for you 
to become a Christian." 

There is a sect of Methodists in England, who, on account 
of their religious exercises, are called Banters. Now, sup- 
pose, at the close of a sermon , delivered by one of the 
preachers of that party, some one should speak out in the 
crowd, and say : "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Ban- 
ter," what do you think the preacher would say? Surely, 
he would not acknowledge the name Banter on such a 
solemn occasion as this. No, nor would Paul, standing 
before the king's court, not knowing but he was making his 
last public address on the subject of salvation through the 
blood of Christ, with legal chains upon his emaciated person, 
and all the sanctions of his apostolic office resting upon his 
conscience, have even appeared to sanction a name which 
had been hurled at the church of God by the bitter opposers 
of the blessed Jesus. But he did acknowledge the name 
Christian, by saying, " Would to God that not only thou, 
but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and 



THE NAME. 99 

altogether such as I am, except these bonds." Acts 
xxvi, 29. 

3. But this name is objected to, as a church name, because 
it is too exclusive. For a church to call itself the Christian 
Church, they say, seems to imply that none other are Chris- 
tians ; it is appropriating a name, which of right belongs to 
all the people of God, to one individual party of the disci- 
ples of Christ. 

But, if there is anything wrong in this, I ask, at whose 
door does the sin lie? At the door of those who are 
endeavoring to return to the old paths — that are laboring 
to bring the church of God to apostolic ground in all 
things ? or does it lie at the door of those who have depart- 
ed from the primitive order of things, and have assumed 
human names by which to distinguish themselves ? Surely, 
if there is any sin in the case, those who have taken names 
which God has not authorized must account to the Judge of 
the living and the dead for that sin. 

It must be admitted by all, that there was a time when 
this name was not too exclusive. It was not too exclusive 
when Peter said : "IT any man suffer as a Christian, let 
him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on that 
account." And had the church remained pure, or, accord- 
ing to Dr. Clark, had she not departed from the spirit of 
the gospel, this name would not be too exclusive now. 

I am willing to admit that it would be wrong for a bodv 
of people, organized upon a constitution, or confession of 
faith, of human origin, and governed by laws of their own 
enacting, to call themselves the Christian church. They 
may — nay, they should — adopt a name corresponding with 
the nature of their organism ; but I doubt the propriety of 
their claiming to be the church of Christ, after they have 
thus organized. 



100 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

When we repudiate all unscriptural titles, and adopt the 
names by which the first followers of Christ were called, 
we do it from principle. Beholding the awful ravages 
which sectarianism has made upon our holy religion — the 
army of the Lord's hosts being thus weakened — while 
the prince of darkness is mustering his combined forces 
I against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, "Let us 
break their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us ;" 
and while infidels and skeptics were laughing at the divi- 
sions among the Lord's people, we began to inquire for the 
cause. It was soon discovered that party spirit had origi- 
nated party creeds, and party organizations upon those 
creeds had given birth to party names, and that these things 
were standing directly in the way of the success of the 
gospel and the salvation of sinners. 

We therefore resolved to clear ourselves of the responsi- 
bility resting upon those who caused or kept up this state 
of things. But how was this to be done ? Shall we form 
a more liberal creed than any now in existence, and try to 
bring all to that? We could not hope to do that. But 
should we bring many of the more liberal minded to unite 
with us on such a creed, we would only have made one more 
sect, and those who remained upon their old party platforms 
would justly charge us with presumption, for asking them 
to unite with us, while they had just as good a right to 
make a creed, and originate a party, as we had. And 
then we feared to meet the awful question in the last day : 
Who hath required this at your hands? We therefore 
resolved to take our stand on the Bible alone — determined 
to reject everything in Christianity for which we could find 
no precept or precedent in the teaching of the apostles of 
the Lamb. 

Now, no one will say that this was wrong ; for to say so, 



THE NAME. 101 

would be to say that the church of Christ, under the imme- 
diate inspection, direction, and supervision of the holy 
apostles, commenced its career in error ! 

Then, if the principle upon which we set out was right, 
what could we do but adopt scriptural names? When 
we adopt the name Christian as the family name of God's 
people, we mean no disrespect for any body of people on 
earth ; we do not do it for the purpose of exalting ourselves, 
or abasing others ; we are driven to it by the holy princi- 
ples which we have adopted.* We do it, therefore, from 
principle, and to exalt Him by whom are all things, and 
for whom are all things. 

4. It is sometimes urged as an objection to this name, 
that it is too assuming ; it is taking too high ground. But, 
I ask, was it taking too high ground for the disciples to be 
called Christians first at Antioch ? If it was not too assum- 
ing then, it ought not to be so considered now. 

5. But it is objected that the church is not worthy of so 
sacred a title. I once heard of a good old Baptist brother 
saying, when the subject of changing the name Baptist for 
the name Christian was under discussion : "lam opposed 
to the change. Now, that I am a Baptist, I know ; but 
whether I am a Christian, admits of serious doubts — and 
hence, I am opposed to taking that name as a church title." 
And I fear that many who profess to have taken the scrip- 
tures of divine truth as their only directory in all things 
pertaining to Christianity, sometimes feel the same embar- 
rassment. How often they seem to blush, and hesitate, 
when asked what church they belong to. Some will say 
Beformers, or something else, rather than come square 
out, and say, I profess to be a Christian — I am a member 
of the church of God. 

But, suppose we admit that none of the ecclesiastical 
organizations are worthy of this name, and that we, after 



102 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

all our efforts to restore primitive Christianity to the church, 
or to restore the church to primitive Christianity, have not 
yet arrived to a point in scriptural order and scriptural holi- 
ness that would justify us in taking this sacred name, what 
shall we then do? Shall we remain where we are, and 
take to ourselves some name more in accordance with our 
low state of morals ? Or, would it not be better to hold 
on to the name, and try to bring the church up to a point 
in Christian perfection where she might consistently wear 
the name ? This certainly would be the better course. 
Whenever a person professing Christianity says that he is 
not worthy of the name, I would advise him to do one of 
two things at once : either reform or renounce. Eeform in 
spirit and manners until he could wear the name without 
blushing, or renounce the profession altogether. But, for 
the Lord's sake, and for his own soul's sake, I would advise 
the former. 

But it may be said, after all, that names are small 
matters — that it makes no difference by what name we are 
called, so the heart is right — that, therefore, though we 
are right in wearing the name Christian, still they are not 
wrong in adopting other names. 

But, my dear reader, do you suppose that Christ has no 
regard for the name by which his people shall be called ? 
If the Lord built the church, and gave it all its laws and 
ordinances, as clearly shown in the first discourse in this 
book — if he is the head of the church — if he loved the 
church, and gave himself for it — if he sympathizes with 
the church so much as to regard an act done to the church 
as done to himself, as shown in our second discourse — I say, 
if all these things are so, he must have a will in reference 
to the name by which his people shall be called. He watches 
over the church with a kind but jealous eye. He will not 
allow his glory to be given to another. 



THE NAME, 103 

If it is an honor to a man to have towns, cities, and 
organized societies called for him, is it not still more honor 
to have churches called for us ? Should a portion of the 
members of the Lord's body organize themselves into a 
party, and take to themselves the name of some good and 
great man, would not this be giving a portion of the glory 
that belongs to Christ, to another person ? Can we do this, 
and be guiltless ? 

But I will leave this investigation with the reader, after 
propounding one question, which I desire every one who may 
read this discourse to ponder well, in the light of sound 
reason and of revelation. Here it is : 

Can any thing be religiously right, and scripturally 
wrong, at the same time? can any church name be 
religiously right when it is unauthorized by the word 
of God ? 

Eemember, reader, the name of the church is a religious 
matter, and should be governed by the Holy Scriptures, as 
long as we hold the great truth, that the Bible is higher in 
authority than the church. 

I will now close this discourse with a few words of ad- 
vice to those who stand upon the Bible, and who wear the 
Christian name. 

Dear brethren, you stand on holy ground. Our religious 
neighbors are correct, when they say that we have taken 
high ground ; that we have assumed an elevated position 
in the religious world. 0, then, let us show by our daily 
walk and conversation, that we are sincere. Let us give 
the enemy no reason to speak reproachfully of us, but let 
our behavior be such " that they who are of the contrary 
part may be ashamed, having no evil to say of us. 7; Never 
be ashamed of the holy name by which you are called. 

It was spoken to the praise of the church at Philadel- 
phia, that they had not denied the Lord's name. (See Eev. 



104 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

iii, 8). Yes, notwithstanding the corruption of those times, 
and the persecutions to which the church was exposed — 
under which all the seven churches in Asia had erred, more 
or less, save this one congregation — the Lord said to this 
church, " Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my 
word, and hast not denied my name,." They still kept the 
word of God as their rule of faith and practice, and there- 
fore wore the name of Christ — the name Christian — and 
for this they received the approval of the great head of 
the church. 

My brethren, if this name implies that we are the 
anointed of the Lord, anointed priests, to offer up spiritual 
sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ ; if this name is intended to distinguish the 
people of God from all other persons ; if this name is in- 
tended to point out those who w r ear it, as the Lord's prop- 
erty, the Lord's lot, the Lord's inheritance ; if it is a 
catholic name, intended to bury and swallow up all party 
names in religion ; if it is a patronymic name, referring to 
Christ, the author of our holy religion and the founder of 
the church ; if the name Christian was given by divine au- 
thority, of which there is very strong evidence : I say, if 
all these things are so, what manner of persons ought we 
to be in all holy conversation ? 

When Moses approached the burning bush — which 
burned, but was not consumed — the Lord said unto him : 
" Put off thy shoes, for the place w r here thou standest is 
holy ground." Ex. iii, 5. And do not we stand on holy 
ground ? Most assuredly we do ; and should we not then 
put off all unrighteousness, and all filthiness of flesh and 
spirit, and practice holiness in the fear of God ? 

Brethren, this reformation in which we are engaged, has 
not done its work until the people of God w r ho occupy Bible 
ground in theory, have become so upright, so pious, so 



THE NAME. 105 

devout, so heavenly-minded, that all who revere the Bible 
will he constrained to say, These people are not only Chris- 
tians in name, but they are Christians in deed and in truth. 
Brethren, with the proper effort, made according to the 
word of God, and with his divine assistance, this may be 
done. 

May the great head of the church help us all to do his 
will, and make this discourse a blessing to all who may 
read it, is my sincere prayer. Amen. 



SERMON V. 

CONVERSION. 

For this people's heart is waxed gross ; and their ears are dull of hearing ; and their 
eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with 
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I 
should heal them. Matt, xiii, 15. 

I have chosen, as the theme of the present discourse, 
the doctrine of conversion, which is plainly mentioned in 
the above text : " That they might be converted, and I 
should heal them. ;; The doctrine of conversion to God, is 
an infinitely important doctrine to every child of Adam 
who has come to the years of accountability. Its interests 
extend to the third heaven, and lay hold on things invisi- 
ble and eternal. With what deep feelings of anxiety, 
then, should we approach this awfully grand and transcend- 
antly glorious theme. But before entering upon the sub- 
ject proper, I will premise a few things. 

1. The first word in the text, upon which we will make 
a remark, is the term healed. What are we to understand 
by being healed ? Mark, speaking upon this same sub- 
ject, says, " That they should be converted, and their sins 
should be forgiven them." Mark iv, 12. Then Matthew 
and Mark use the terms healed and forgiven, as convertible 
terms. To be healed according to Matthew, is to be for- 
given according to Mark. 

All who are living in their sins, unforgiven, and 

(106) 



CONVERSION. 107 

irreconciled to God, are represented in the Scriptures as 
laboring under a moral malady, which has fastened itself 
upon their moral constitution, and is working to bring forth 
fruit unto death. Jesus is represented in the gospel, 
standing with open arms, possessed of all the materia med- 
ica of heaven, and crying to a sin-sick world, in the sooth- 
ing language of the Bible, " Wilt thou be made whole ?" 
And all who apply to this great physician of souls, and 
comply with his holy prescriptions, obtain a plenary remis- 
sion of all their past transgressions against God's moral 
government. 

2. The next suggestion that I will make, is that conver- 
sion and pardon are not the same. Public speakers on the 
subject of Christianity, sometimes confound things that 
God never intended to be united. Hence, conversion, a 
change of heart, remission of sins, and the gift of the 
Holy Spirit, are often spoken of as so many different ex- 
pressions, all expressive of the same fact. This is not 
correct. Conversion is one thing, remission is another, 
and the gift of the Holy Spirit is still another thing. 
These are all different items in the great process of salva- 
tion. Hence the Saviour says, " that they might be con- 
verted, and I should heal or pardon them ;" thus represent- 
ing conversion and pardon as two distinct items in the 
system of human salvation. 

3. I suggest thirdly, that, in the order of time, conver- 
sion goes before pardon. Christ did not say, that they 
might be healed, and I should convert them ; but that 
they might be converted, and I should heal them ; thus 
placing conversion before being healed, or pardoned. 

4. Once more. According to the language of the text, 
conversion not only goes before pardon, but pardon depends 
upon conversion ; no conversion, no pardon. The text 



108 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

reads, " that they might be converted, and I should heal 
thera," thus plainly making pardon depend upon conver- 
sion. 

Now, all these things being so, how important is it that 
we understand what is meant by being converted. For, if 
I do not understand what conversion is, I do not know 
whether I am converted, or not ; and if I do not know 
whether or not I am converted, I do not know whether or 
not I am pardoned. My object, then, in this discourse, is 
to endeavor to place before the reader the whole doctrine 
of evangelical conversion, in all its length and breadth, 
and depth and hight, in a plain and scriptural manner, 
so that all who read may understand all that the Scrip- 
tures mean, when speaking on this sublime subject. 

The simple term convert means to change. Webster 
defines the word thus : " To change, or turn into another 
substance or form. 2. To change from one state to an- 
other. 3. To change or turn from one religion, or from 
one party or sect, to another. 4. To turn from a bad life 
to a good one ; to change the heart and moral character 
from enmity to God, and from vicious habits, to love of 
God, and to a holy life," etc. — all of which is embraced in 
the simple word change, though it may be applied to differ- 
ent objects. This book was once separate sheets of paper, 
but the paper has been converted into a book. The paper 
was once a bundle of rags ; but these old and apparently 
worthless rags, were converted into paper, and then the 
paper, by a second conversion, was turned into a book. 

Now, when this word conversion is used in a religious 
sense, it does not lose its primary signification ; it still 
means a change. 

That we may speak on this subject with some degree of 
order and system, we propose to notice — 



CONVERSION. 109 

I. The change of heart that is contemplated in gospel 
conversion. 

II. The change of life, or character, which the Bible 
teaches, as implied in conversion. 

III. The change of state, or relation, which the gospel 
requires to complete the conversion of a sinner to God. 

From this programme, it will be perceived at once, that 
evangelical conversion is no partial work ; but that it is 
designed to be a conversion of the whole man — soul, body, 
spirit and life — to the living God. 

I. Let us then consider the change of heart contemplated 
in this glorious work. That the Bible does teach the doc- 
trine of a change of heart, must be admitted by all. The 
phrase a change of heart may not be in the Bible, just in 
so many words, but the idea that we all wish to convey by 
this phrase, floats on the very surface of revelation. 

I know that some persons have the notion that we, as a 
people, deny the doctrine of a change of heart; that we 
deny the idea of heartfelt religion. It is sometimes said 
that we have a kind of head religion, that floats in the 
serial regions of the brain, and never gets down to the heart. 
Hence the remark is sometimes reproachfully made, that 
if our head were taken off, our religion would be gone. 
How this idea originated, or by whom it was first published, 
I know not, nor do I ever expect to know. One thing 
I do know, and that is, that it never started inside of our 
Zion. 

No, gentle reader, no man who believes in the Bible can 
deny that Christianity has much to do w T ith the heart. In- 
deed, the Bible says much about the hearts of the children 
of men. It says " the heart is deceitful above all things, 
and desperately wicked ; who can know it ? ,; Jer. xvii, 
9. Again: "Because sentence against an evil work is 



110 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men 
are fully set in them to do evil." Ecc. viii, 11. Jesus said, 
" A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bring- 
eth forth that which is good ; and an evil man, out of the 
evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil ; 
for of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
Luke vi, 45. And the apostle Paul, addressing those who 
were in the practice of judging others, while they them- 
selves remained in sin, said: " Thou, after thy hardness 
and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath 
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous 
judgment of God." Eom. ii, 5. And Christ said, " Blessed 
are the pure in heart" Matt, v, 8. 

Thus we have wicked hearts, deceitful hearts, hearts 
fully set on doing evil, hard and impenitent hearts, 
good hearts, and pure hearts, all spoken of in the scrip- 
tures of truth. Indeed, the heart is contemplated as 
the great ivork-shop, in which all our actions are coined 
before they are carried out in real practice ; for, from what 
is in the heart, the mouth speaks. 

Now, the man whose heart is hard and impenitent will 
not obey God. Under the dictates and promptings of this 
hard and impenitent heart, he will continue a course of 
rebellion against God, adding iniquity to crime, and will 
thus treasure up to himself wrath against the day of wrath 
and revelation of the just judgments of God. Then, in 
order to this man's salvation, his heart must be converted, 
must be changed. From a hard, unfeeling, unrelenting 
heart, it must be changed to a feeling, contrite, penitent 
heart. 

But, after we have said this much about the heart, do we 
understand ourselves ? When the preacher tells the sinner 
that he must obtain a change of heart, does the sinner know 



CONVEBSION. Ill 

what he means? Ah, does the preacher know? Reader, 
do we know what the Bihle means when it says so much 
about the hearts of the children of men ? 

I will here introduce a few scriptures and scripture ex- 
amples which will place this subject in a clear light before 
the mind of the reader. In the 15th chapter of 2d Sam- 
uel, it is said that " Absalom stole the hearts of the men 
of Israel." Now, what are we to understand from this ? 
Not that he stole their literal hearts. Indeed, I suppose 
no one understands the Bible to speak of this little muscle 
of flesh, through which the fluid of life passes, when the 
human heart is mentioned. All have a more exalted notion 
of the heart than this. 

By reading the whole connection in the above scripture, 
it will be seen that Absalom, on the occasion referred to, 
expressed great concern for the welfare of the men of 
Israel. He " stood by the side of the way of the gate ; 
and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy 
came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto 
him, and said, Of what city art thou ? And he said, Thy 
servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom 
said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right ; but 
there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absa- 
lom said also, 0, that I were made judge in the land, that 
every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto 
me, and I would do him justice ! And it was so, that when 
any man came nigh unto him to do him obeisance, he put 
forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. So Absalom 
stole the hearts of the men of Israel." 

From all this, it is clear, that by the heart, the affections 
of the mind are meant. Absalom, by these acts of kind- 
ness, and strong expressions of regard for the dear people, 
gained their affections ; and when this was done, the Bible 
says, he stole their hearts. 



112 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Take another example. Solomon says : " The heart of 
fools is in the house of mirth." In this example, the wise 
man supposes a case in which a number of } r oung persons 
have gathered themselves together to spend a jovial even- 
ing. All is vanity and mirth. This simpleton knows that 
such a scene of mirth exists, but he is not present, but his 
heart is there; he is absent in body, but present in heart. 
Now, what is meant by it ? All say, without a dissenting 
voice, that in this case the heart means the affections of the 
mind. All the affections and desires of that poor simple- 
ton gather around that mirthful group, and he longs to be 
there. 

But, says Solomon, " the heart of the wise is in the house 
of mourning." Ecc. vii, 4. This wise man knows of a 
scene of mourning in the neighborhood. Perhaps the hand 
of death has been laid upon the head of the family, and 
all are immersed in gloom and mourning. There are heard 
the deep sigh and mournful groans of the dear bereaved 
members of a distressed family. This wise man is not 
there, but he knows the facts, and his heart is there. Now, 
what is meant by this? His body is in one place, and his 
heart in another. There is no difficulty in understanding 
this. All say it means that his affections are there. AH 
the affections and tender sympathies of his mind cluster 
around that mourning, sorrowful group. Here, then, the 
heart means the affections and sympathies of the mind. 

In the very last chapter of the Old Testament, the Lord 
says, by his prophet, " Behold, I will send you Elijah, the 
prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day 
of the Lord. And he shall turn the hearts of the father to 
the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, 
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Now, what 
is meant by the heart in this scripture ? All say it means 
the affections ; that this great reformer was to unite the 



CONVERSION. 113 

fathers and children in affection, and thus avert a judgment 
which was hanging over that wicked nation on account of a 
want of parental affection on the one hand, and filial love 
on the other. 

Let us now take one example from the New Testament. 
Jesus said to his disciples : " Lay up for yourselves trea- 
sures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, 
and where thieves do not break through nor steal ; for 
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matt, 
vi, 20, 21. 

From this expression, it seems that it is possible for a 
man, while he is here upon earth, attending to the busy 
scenes of life, to have his heart high up in heaven. How 
are we to understand this ? Let the apostle Paul explain : 
" If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which 
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 
Set your affections on things above, not on things on the 
earth." Col. iii, 1, 2. Thus, Paul explains the heart to 
mean the affections of the mind. When a man has his 
affections placed on his eternal inheritance which is laid up 
in heaven, Jesus says that his heart is in heaven. 

The term heart is also used in the scriptures to express 
the judgment or understanding. Paul says: " If thou 
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 
believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the 
dead, thou shalt be saved ; for, with the heart man believ- 
eth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is 
made unto salvation." Eom. x, 9, 10. Here the heart 
means the understanding. John says : " If our heart con- 
demn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all 
things." 1 John iii, 20. Here the heart means the judg- 
ment. If our own judgments, enlightened by the word of 
God, condemn us, we may expect to be condemned by Him 
who kncfweth all things. 
10 



114 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Now, from all these scripture examples, we are prepared 
to understand what is meant by a change of heart. Where 
a man's judgment is perverted, and his affections are all set 
on sinful objects and wicked pursuits, it is said that " his 
heart is fully set in him to do evil." Where his affections 
are unmoved by the goodness of God, it is said that his 
heart is " hard and impenitent." And just as long as his 
judgment, affections and sympathies remain in this state, 
he will continue to rebel against God, and thus will he 
" treasure up to himself wrath against the day of wrath, 
and the revelation of the righteous judgments of God." 

But, in gospel conversion, a change in his judgment and 
in all the affections and desires of the mind is contemplated. 
Old faculties are not to be destroyed, and new ones im- 
parted. The man loved and hated before he was converted, 
and he loves and hates after he is converted. And the 
same faculties are employed in both cases. But these 
affections are turned in a different direction. He can now 
say from the heart, the things which I once loved I now 
hate, and the things which I once hated I now love. And 
this is no small matter. For a man to have his judgment 
corrected, and all his desires and affections thus turned to 
God, and set on heavenly and divine objects, is of infinite 
importance, and therefore should be earnestly sought by 
every child of man. 

II. Let us now consider the change of character and life 
that is contemplated in gospel conversion. That such a 
change is taught in the Holy Scriptures, all who have 
studied the Bible with any degree of attention must know. 
The Lord said to Israel, when in a state of great apostasy, 
" Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; 
cease to do evil, learn to do well." Isaiah i, 16. "Let the 
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will 



CONVERSION. 115 

have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abun- 
dantly pardon." Isaiah lv, 7. This implies an entire 
change of life, or practice ; and, as a man's character is 
made up of his practice, it also implies a change of char- 
acter. 

This same change is abundantly taught in the New 
Testament. The apostle Peter says to the man that would 
love life and enjoy good days, " let him eschew or turn 
away from evil, and do good." 1 Pet. iii, 11. Wherever it 
is said that a person believed and turned to the Lord, this 
conversion of life is meant. Indeed this is the leading idea 
in the doctrine of evangelical repentance. The repentance 
of the gospel means more than to be sorry for sin. It also 
means to turn away from sin. Hence, Paul says : " A 
godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation." 2 Cor. 
vii, 10. The word that is here translated repentance is 
metanoian, which Greenfield defines thus: " repentance, i. 
e. a change of mind and purpose ; a change of one's mode 
of thinking, feeling and acting ; reformation of life." 

Now, we often speak of a man who is thus converted, as 
being a different man. See that man who has long been 
in the practice of cursing and swearing — indulging in 
drunkenness and all its kindred crimes. He repents of his 
sins, and becomes a pious, upright and temperate man. 
Everybody says, " What a different man lie is." He has 
become a new man. Now, we do not mean that he is phy- 
sically different, though there may even be some change in 
his physical appearance. But this is not what we mean. 
We mean that he is a different man in character — that his 
life and practice is changed. Well, this change is always 
implied in the conversion taught in the gospel ; it is a part 
of the great work referred to in our text : " that they might 
be converted and I should heal them." And let no one sup- 
pose that he can ever obtain the pardoning love of God 



116 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

without such a change; for David said: "If I regard 
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Ps. lxvi, 
18. And I care not what professions a man may make 
about his heart being changed, no one who understands the 
Bible has any confidence in Ms professions, unless there 
is a corresponding change of life, of character, of prac- 
tice. 

III. But all that we have now considered may be effected, 
and still the work of conversion is incomplete. All that the 
scriptures teach on the great subject of conversion, has not 
yet been accomplished. The Bible teaches a conversion of 
state, or relation, which we now proceed to consider. That 
such a conversion is taught, and even commanded in the 
word of God, can not be denied. The apostle, speaking for 
the Lord, said : " Wherefore come out from among them, 
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the un- 
clean, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, 
and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
Almighty." 2 Cor. vi, 16, 17. Is not this a conversion of 
relation ? The Lord says: " I will be a father unto you," 
which implies that he was not always such ; that, on the 
conditions propounded, their relation should be changed, so 
that he would be their father, and they should be his sons 
and daughters. 

Peter teaches the same doctrine when he says : " But ye 
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar peo- 
ple, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath 
called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ; ivho 
in time past were not a people, but are now the people of 
God" 1 Pet. ii, 9, 10. Here are persons who, at one time, 
were not a people, but who have been converted in their 
relation to God, so that they have become his people. The 
Lord, by the mouth of his prophet, taught the same doc- 
trine, saying : " I will say to them that were not my people, 



CONVERSION. 1 17 

Thou art my people ; and they shall say, Thou art my 
God." Hos. ii, 23. 

The reader will find a commandment in the third chap- 
ter of the Acts of the apostles, in whicli a conversion is 
named, which must apply to the state, or relation. It reads 
thus : " Eepent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your 
sins may he blotted out, when times of refreshing shall come 
from the presence of the Lord. 7 ' Acts iii, 29. Now, the con- 
version here enjoined must have reference to the state. It 
can not apply to the heart or the life. All that is meant by 
a change of life is fully embraced in the word repent, as we 
have seen in the former item. And as no one will reform 
or repent according to the gospel, whose heart is not con- 
verted or changed, it follows that the conversion refers to 
the state. Over and above, or beyond, a change of heart, 
and a change or conversion of life, they are commanded to 
be converted. The command, then, may be paraphrased 
thus : being truly penitent, reform your lives by ceasing to 
do evil, and learning to do well, and then change your 
relation to God's moral government, by entering into the 
New Covenant, and by taking upon you the yoke, or gov- 
ernment of Christ, that you may become the sons and 
daughters of the Lord Almighty, and thus enjoy times of 
refreshing from his divine presence. 

There is a very similar injunction found in the second 
chapter of Acts, which, placed by the side of this, may 
throw some light upon it. It reads thus : " Repent, and 
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of 
the Holy Ghost." Acts ii, 38. Now let us compare these 
two scriptures, and we shall be the better prepared to under- 
stand both. 

But before I do this, I will suppose a case. Suppose you 
hear a preacher address a congregation to-day, in the city 



118 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

of Indianapolis ; some persons become interested on the 
subject of religion, and ask him what they must do to be 
saved. He tells them certain things to do, and promises 
them remission of sins on a compliance with those com- 
mands. Suppose, on to-morrow the same man should preach 
in the city of Cincinnati ; some persons, of the same char- 
acter, become interested, and ask him what they must do 
to be saved, and he gives them quite a different class of 
commands, and promises remission of sins on a compliance 
with these requirements. Now, what would you say of 
such a religious teacher ? You would say that no confidence* 
should be placed in his instructions — that he endeavored to 
suit his teaching to the notions and opinions of the com- 
munity where he happened to be. 

Now, shall we charge the apostle Peter with such incon- 
sistencies ? Eemember, these two discourses were delivered 
by the same inspired Peter, and in the same city, though 
perhaps not at the same point, and to persons occupying the 
same position to God ; s moral government, and but a few 
hours elapsed between the delivery of these two addresses. 
Now, we ask, did the apostle agree with himself on these 
two occasions ? Or, did he tell the people one thing to do 
in order to remission of sins, on the day of Pentecost, and, 
a few hours after, tell the people, at the beautiful gate of 
Temple, a different thing to do in order to pardon ? No 
one will charge this ambassador of Christ with acting thus ; 
with thus tampering with the deep agonies of souls con- 
victed of sin. All say that, whether we can understand 
the apostle or not, he intended to teach the same things in 
order to pardon, on these two occasions. 

With this understanding, then, let us compare these two 
discourses. The reader will notice that there are just four 
items in each discourse. In the first discourse, they stand 
thus: 1, repent; 2, be baptized; 3, the remission of sins; 



CONVERSION. 119 

4, the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the second discourse, 
they stand thus: 1, repent ; 2, be converted ; 3, that your 
sins may be blotted out ; 4, when times of refreshing shall 
come from the presence of the Lord. Now, let us compare 
these items, and see if they agree. The first item in the 
first discourse is repent ; the first item in the second dis- 
course is repent. Now, does repentance, in the first dis- 
course, and repentance, in the second discourse mean the 
same thing? All answer in the affirmative; not a dissent- 
ing voice. Well, the third item in the first discourse is 
" remission of sins" ; the third item in the second discourse 
is, " that your sins may be Hotted oat." Now, do the 
" the remission of sins" in the first discourse, and the 
" blotting out of sins" in the second discourse, mean the 
same thing ? All say they do. To blot out sin, and to 
pardon sins, are two Bible terms, expressive of the very 
same act. Let us then proceed. The fourth item in the 
first discourse is, " and you shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit" ; the fourth item in the second discourse is, " when 
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" 
Now, do these items agree ? All say they do. All 
agree that when persons receive the Holy Spirit as a com- 
forter, to revive their broken spirits, and strengthen them 
with might in the inner man, they have a time of refresh- 
ing from the presence of the Lord. Then we have found 
that the apostle agrees with himself precisely in three 
items out of four. Let us now try the second. I passed 
over that item intentionally. The second item in the first 
discourse is * ' be baptized ;" the second item in the second 
discourse is "be converted." Now, do these items agree? 
Who will venture the assertion that they do not ? No one, 
I presume, is prepared to make such an assertion. Then, 
if these items agree, what is the doctrine taught ? Eeader, 
don't begin to dodge ; stand up to the fair, logical conclusion, 



120 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

though a whole system should fall by the operation. The 
plain, naked, unvarnished truth is, that baptism and eon- 
version are used as convertible terms, in a certain sense ; 
that conversion, according to Acts iii, 19, and baptism, 
according to Acts ii, 38, mean the same thing — or more 
properly, by baptism, persons are converted. 

Eeader, do not be alarmed — don't throw down the book 
at this. Eead on ; hear us out before you decide the case. 
Don't forget what we have said on the subject of a change 
of heart and reformation of life. Notice, we are now 
treating on a change of state. Baptism can not change 
the heart — it never was designed to do this. Nor can it 
change a man's general character — this must be done by 
reformation. But, although baptism can not change the 
heart, or the life of a person, it may change his state or 
relation. This, then is all that we mean when we say that 
by baptism, according to Acts ii, 38, persons are converted, 
according to Acts iii, 19. 

When a person is so changed in heart as to fall out with 
his sins, to forsake his evil ways, and turn to the Lord with 
full purpose of heart, fully resolved to live for him who 
died for all ; and with this determination fully fixed in his 
heart, is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, into the 
name of the Father, and Son and Holy Spirit, he changes 
his relation to God, angels and men. He thus takes the 
oath of allegiance to the King immortal, invisible, and 
eternal. He becomes a member of God's family ; a citizen 
of the kingdom of Jesus our Lord. 

But the doctrine that a person's state, or relation to God, 
is changed by baptism, is no new doctrine. It is the doc- 
trine of all the leading parties or sects in Christendom. 
It is found, more or less plainly expressed, in most of the 
creeds and commentaries which abound in our land. The 
seventeenth " article of religion " of the Methodist Episcopal 



CONVERSION. 121 

church says : " Baptism is not only a sign of profession and 
mark of difference, whereby Christians are distinguished 
from others who are not baptized, but it is also a sign of 
regeneration, or the new birth. " 

Now, the point in this article to which we direct the spe- 
cial attention is, that baptism is here held to be a mark of 
difference between the baptized and the unbaptized. Then, 
when a person is baptized, according to this article, he is 
converted in state. 

Dr. Wm. B. Lacey, in his Moral Philosophy, written for 
" advanced classes in Sunday Schools, and for literary insti- 
tutions," says : " The sacrament of baptism, in its spiritual 
operations, constitutes us, in the first instance, members of 
the Christian church. " ~ * In the second place, it 
constitutes us, relatively, the children of God ; or, in other 
words, translates us from an uncovenant into a covenant 
relation ; from a state of nature into a condition of grace. 
° ° ° ° In the non-reception of this ordinance, we 
are in no covenant relation to God whatever ; but by sub- 
mitting to it, we are incorporated into his family, and made 
his children by adoption and grace.' 5 John Wesley, the 
father of Methodism, taught the same truth. In his note 
on Bom. vi, 3, he says : " In baptism, we, through faith, 
are ingrafted into Christ." This certainly is a great change 
of state. To be taken out of a state of nature and be 
grafted into Christ. But this change, Wesley says, is 
effected in baptism. He taught the same doctrine still 
more fully in his Doctrinal Tracts. He there says : " By 
baptism we enter into covenant with God ; into that ever- 
lasting covenant which he hath commanded forever, (Ps. 
cxi, 9) ; that new covenant w T hich he promised to make with 
the spiritual Israel ; even to give them a new heart and a 
new spirit, to sprinkle clean water upon them (of which 
baptism is onlv the figure), and to remember their sins 
11 



122 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and iniquities no more ; in a word, to be their God, as lie 
promised to Abraham, in the everlasting covenant which 
he made with him and all his spiritual offspring." — [Doc. 
Tracts, Conference edition of 1850, pp. 247-8. 

Thus did Wesley teach, that by baptism a person is con- 
verted in date. Indeed, he went so far as to say that 
infants may thus be converted. He says : " Infants are 
capable of entering into covenant with God. As they 
always were, so they still are, under the evangelical cove- 
nant. Therefore they have a right to baptism, which is 
now the entering seal thereof." — [Doc. Tracts, p. 254.] This 
is going further than we are willing to venture. 

1 have not introduced any of the foregoing witnesses to 
prove the doctrine true, that by baptism a true believer is 
converted in state, or changed in his covenant relation to 
God, but to show to the reader that this is no new-fangled 
idea — that it is sound orthodoxy in all the schools. 

Now, all persons who are thus converted in heart, and 
character, and state, have the promise of Christ that they 
shall be healed — that they shall be pardoned ; for says our 
text, " that they might be converted, and I should heal themP 
Hence, said Jesus to his apostles : " Go ye into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to every creature ; he that 
believeth and is baptized shall be saved;" or, in the words of 
our text, shall be healed — being saved and being healed 
meaning the same thing, namely, pardon of sins. 

Here, my Christian reader, I will leave the general subject 
of conversion, so far as the thing done in conversion is con- 
cerned, and will proceed to answer a very important ques- 
tion that is started at this point. One may be ready to ask 
now, admitting that all I have said is true, How are the 
hearts of the children of men changed ? We have seen 
what is meant by a change of heart; there is no darkness 
on that subject ; but the question is, How is this change 



CONVERSION. 123 

effected? Is it done with means or without means ? Are 
there any visible instrumentalities employed in effecting 
this change of heart ? Or, is it effected by some mysterious, 
indefinable influence that passes through the atmosphere, 
and takes hold of the heart of the man, like a shock of 
electricity, without the employment of any visible agencies, 
and thus changes the heart in a moment of time ? This, 
my dear reader, is a question of no ordinary moment, and 
the answer any one may give to it, will be likely to affect 
his future course very much. Hence, we should approach 
it with honest, unprejudiced minds, determined to be satis- 
fied with nothing but the truth of God upon this all 
important subject. 

How, then, is the heart of man to be changed or con- 
verted to God? The answer is in the text: "that they 
might understand with their heart, and be converted." Then, 
in order to a man's conversion, he must understand with 
his heart. Therefore, the Saviour said, in his explanation 
of the parable of the sower, found in connection with our 
text : " When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, 
and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and 
catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is 
he that received seed by the way-side." Then, speaking of 
the ground that brought forth fruit, he said, "But he that 
received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the 
word, and understandeth it" 

By understanding with the heart or judgment, then, the 
heart or affections are changed from the love of sin to the 
love of holiness. This is the reason why you can not change 
the life or actions of one who can not understand with his 
heart. Take the idiot, who has no understanding, and you 
can not change his course of life. The reason is, he can 
not understand the force of argument ; he can not appre- 
ciate a motive ; he can not feel the power of moral suasion. 



124 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

But, do you ask, What is to become of them ? Are they 
to "be lost because they can not understand ? Infants, too, 
that die before they are capable of understanding ? Are 
they to be lost? No, gentle reader; their happiness is 
( secured by the death and resurrection of Christ, without 
the moral means of which we now speak. When the blessed 
tLord was here on earth, he took little children in his arms 
and blessed them, and that blessing stands good till the 
end of time ; and all who die before they forfeit it by 
actual transgressions shall surely rest in the Paradise 
of God. All the conversion they need to prepare them 
for heaven is, a change from mortality to immortality. 
So far as moral qualification is concerned, Jesus says, "Of 
such is the kingdom of heaven. " Hence, the gospel is 
not to be preached to such ; but it is to be proclaimed to 
those who have hearts to understand. 

But there is another question beyond all this that I must 
notice. How are persons to understand with their hearts ? 

The answer to this is also to be found in our text. "That 
they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and 
understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should 
heal ihemP What a beautiful arrangement this is. In 
order to be pardoned, the sinner must be converted ; in 
order to be converted, he must understand with his heart ; 
in order to understand with his heart, he must see with his 
eyes and hear with his ears. Hence, the Saviour gives, as 
a reason why those to whom he refers in our text were not 
converted, "that their hearts had waxed gross, and their 
ears were dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed." 

Hearts are sometimes changed for the better, and some- 
times for the worse. The first change of heart that ever 
obtained in the family of man was from good to bad. I 
speak in reference to the case of our mother Eve. Now, 
what do you suppose was the state of her mind when she 



CONVERSION. 125 

came out of the hands of her Creator ? Surely, her heart 
was then fully reconciled to God ; for all that God had 
made was good — yea, very good. Every pulsation of her 
righteous soul then beat in harmony with the mind and 
will of God. Now, had she continued in the same state of 
mind — had her heart remained unchanged — she never 
would have touched the prohibited fruit. But her heart 
was turned away from God ; she was converted from good 
to evil — from virtue to vice — and in this way she was led 
to violate the law of God. 

Now, how was that change affected? Was it not by 
seeing and hearing, and understanding or believing what 
she heard ? Bead the history of the case, as recorded in 
the Bible. The Devil, in the person of the serpent, came 
to our mother Eve, in the garden. He seems to have 
understood something of human nature. He understood 
that the heart of man must be reached through the eyes 
and ears, and hence he commenced talking with her. At 
first, he appeared to have no very special object in view, but 
only proposed to make a simple inquiry — one about which he 
felt but little interest, but simply would ask, in passing : 
" Has God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the gar- 
den ?" 

Now, this question naturally directed her attention to 
the tree. She looked at it with more interest than she 
ever did before. But she answered correctly, only adding 
a little to what God had said. She replied, " We may eat 
of the fruit of the trees of the garden ; but of the fruit 
of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath 
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye 
die." 

Now, all this conversation directed her mind to that 
inhibited tree. There it was, right before her, and she 
seems to have discovered, for the first time, that the fruit of 



126 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

that tree was good for food. She never seems to have 
inquired into the character of this fruit ; she knew that 
the prohibition of God rested upon it, and therefore she 
never intended to touch it. Hence she did not care whether 
it was sweet or bitter. But now she looks at it more 
intensely, and for the first time discovers that it is good for 
food. 

Having gained this far upon her feelings, the serpent 
comes out plainly and says, " You shall not surely die ; for 
God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your 
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing 
good and evil." Now, what an effect must this have had 
upon her heart or affections, when she believed it ! She must 
have reasoned thus : Now my Creator has deceived me. 
Here is a tree whose fruit is good for food, and it is plea- 
sant to the eyes, and a tree that is to be desired to make 
me wise, and yet God hath commanded me not to eat it, 
saying, that if I do I shall die ! Surely he has deceived 
me, and here is a friend who has come to tell me the truth 
in the case. Thus was her heart turned away from God, 
" and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat." Thus, 
by seeing, and hearing, and understanding, and believing 
what she heard, her heart was changed from a good condi- 
tion to a bad one, and by one fell act she brought sin, with 
all its deaths and woes, into our world. 

Now, if a falsehood told, heard, understood and believed, 
turned the heart of man away from God, will not the truth 
told, heard, understood and believed, turn it back to God 
again ? Most assuredly it will. Hence, from that day, 
whenever God would reform a man, or a nation of men, 
he always sent some one to talk to them. When his an- 
cient people would apostatize and turn away from God, he 
would raise up a prophet, and would put his words in the 
prophet's mouth, and then send him to the people to be 



CONVERSION. 127 

converted and reformed, commanding him to say, " Hear, 
heavens, and give ear, earth, for the Lord hath spo- 
ken." "Lift up your voice like a trumpet, cry aloud and 
spare not." " Incline your ears and come unto me ; hear, 
and your soul shall live." " Gome now and let us reason 
together."" And in all cases when the people would not 
hear, they were not converted ; hut where they gave heed 
to the things that were spoken, and heard with a willing 
mind, the heart was gained, and the people converted. 

The same divine arrangement is carried out in the New 
Testament. Hence, Jesus said, after he rose from the 
dead, " Thus it is written, and thus it "behooved Christ to 
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day ; and that 
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his 
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 
xxiv, 46, 47. And again, said he, "Go ye into all the 
world and preach the gospel unto every creature." Why 
all this preaching? Why, that the people may see with 
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and thereby under- 
stand with their hearts and be converted. 

When the Lord appeared to Saul, he said, " I have ap- 
peared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister 
and a witness both of the things which thou hast seen, and 
of those^things in the w r hich I will appear unto thee, deliv- 
ering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto 
whom I now send thee." Now, for what purpose was Saul 
sent to the Gentiles? The answer is, "to open their eyes." 
But why open their eyes ? Wliy, that they may see. 
Then, he was " to open their eyes, and turn them from 
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God." 
Acts xxvi, 16, 17, 18. 

Now, take all the examples of conversion recorded in 
the Bible, and where will you find a case of conversion 



128 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

without hearing? And in our own times, where the 
hearing ear is not obtained, no conversion obtains. Go to 
heathen lands, and ask, why are these idol worshipers not 
converted ? It is not because they have no hearts to under- 
stand, but because they have not seen with their eyes, and 
heard the words of truth with their ears. How important, 
then, is the command, " Let him that hath ears to hear, 
hear." And, christian reader, how important, too, is the 
command, " Let your light so shine among men, that they 
seeing your good works may glorify your Father who is 
in heaven." 

But the question may still be asked, what must be seen 
and heard ? what must be understood, m order to con- 
version ? 

In answer to this interrogatory, I will present a suppo- 
sition, illustrative of all that I have said on the subject 
of means, and then close this discourse. 

I will suppose a person who has never seen a Bible ; he 
knows nothing of God, nor of his own destiny ; he is per- 
fectly ignorant of the things contained in that holy Book. 
But that volume is now put in his hands ; he is capable of 
reading, and understanding what he reads. He opens the 
Book and reads : " In the beginning, God created the 
heavens and the earth." Gen. i, 1. " Thou, Lord, in the 
beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the 
heavens are the work of thy hands." Heb. i, 10. He con- 
tinues to read until he is overwhelmed with the awfully 
glorious and infinitely powerful character of the eternal 
Maker of all things. 

He again opens the book, and his eyes fall upon those 
scriptures that describe the awful end of the ungodly — and 
believing all he reads, his faith carries him down to the 
dolorous regions of despair, unlocks the awful pit, and 



CONVERSION. 129 

shows him the horrors of the damned. By faith he hears 
their doleful groans and bitter cries, and he falls back 
upon himself and says, Alas ! that I was born. 

But he again looks into the blessed volume, and believ- 
ing all he reads, his faith takes another direction, and con- 
veys him up to the paradise of God, unlocks the gates of 
heaven, and shows him the celestial city, with all its holy 
inhabitants. He contemplates their joys, hears their rap- 
turous songs of praise, until he feels an anxious desire to 
be one of that happy number. 

But he comes to himself, and finds that he is yet in the 
flesh. He now begins to meditate. I have seen wonderful 
things out of thy law, my God ; but where am I going ? 
I have seen the horrors of the lost, and the joys of the 
saved ; but to which class do I belong? I know that I 
must soon die ; my friends are dying all around me, and I 
too must soon fall. But to which of these abodes must I 
go, when done with time ? 

While these reflections are occupying his mind, he turns 
to the Bible and reads : " The wicked shall be turned into 
hell, and all the nations that forget God. ; * " The Lord 
shall be revealed from heaven, with all his mighty angels, 
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not 
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ : who shall be punished with everlasting destruction 
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his 
power." 2 Thess. i, 7, 8. He now inquires, Have I obeyed 
the gospel ? and he reads to see. He finds that his whole 
life has been contrary to the will of God. Here he finds 
a command forbidding certain things to be done, but I have 
done these very things. Here he finds another class of 
commands, enjoining the performance of certain duties — 
but I have not done them. Alas ! he says, I have sinned 



130 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

by omission and commission. I am a doomed man. 1 am 
exposed every moment to that awful place of torment that 
I have seen described in the Book of God. ! what shall 
I do ? Are there no means of escape ? 

While he is awfully alarmed and deeply concerned about 
his eternal state, he again opens the Bible, and believing 
all he reads, his faith carries him to the dark garden of 
Gethsemane, and shows him the man Christ Jesus, pros- 
trate on the cold ground, praying until his sweat becomes 
as great drops of blood, falling to the ground. He listens, 
and hears the agonizing Saviour say: " Father, if it be 
possible, let this cup pass ; nevertheless, not my will, but 
thine be done." He is astonished at the sight, but does 
not understand it. 

But, by faith, he follows this same personage from the 
court of the high priest to Pilate's bar, and from thence he 
follows him up Calvary. He beholds him, finally, nailed 
to the Eoman cross ; he views him in all the agonies of 
death. He has also learned from the holy volume which 
he has been reading with so much attention, that this is an 
innocent person. He inquires, therefore, what does all this 
mean ? Why does this innocent person thus suffer ? 

While these thoughts are stirring within him, he turns 
to the sacred volume again, and reads: " Jesus Christ, by 
the grace of God, hath tasted death for every man." 
"Christ has suffered in the flesh for sins, the just for the 
unjust, to bring us to God." Well, he says, he is the just 
one, and I am the unjust ; but am I one of those for whom 
Christ died? He reads again: " Christ gave himself a 
ransom for all, to be testified in due time." " He died for 
our sins, according to the Scriptures." Then he says he 
died for me. And is it so — that all the suffering which I 
have contemplated, was endured on my account? His 



CONVERSION. 131 

thoughts still linger around the cross, until he ex- 
claims — 

u Lo Jesus, bleeding on the tree, 
There, there the love of God I see. 
I look, I gaze, my rebel heart 
Feels its own hardness soon depart ; 
Repenting tears begin to roll, 
And love in streams flows through my soul." 

Thus, by seeing and hearing of the goodness of God, in 
the gift and death of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, he is 
reconciled to God. He loves God because he first loved us, 
and he repents of his sins, and reforms his life, as a mat- 
ter of choice ; he becomes willing to obey God, in this day 
of his moral power ; he resolves to lead a life of obedience 
to the revealed will of the Lord ; and he exclaims : " Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ? " He hears the Lord say- 
ing, in the language of his holy apostle : " Eepent and be 
baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 
He believes the promise, and therefore, with a willing 
heart, obeys the command ; and thus enters into covenant 
with God, becomes a member of his family, is made free 
from sin, and now rejoices in hope of the glory of God. 

Here, dear reader, we leave the subject with you, adding 
a word of advice. If you have been thus converted to 
God, see to it that you stand firm to the end. 0, never 
permit the devil to get the advantage of you. Let not 
the world, the flesh, nor the devil, ever convert or change 
your heart back to the love and practice of sin, again ; " be 
ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of 
the Lord, forasmuch as you know your labor is not in vain 
in the Lord." 

If, however, you have not been thus converted to the 
Lord and his service, reflect on what you are, and where 



132 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

you are going. Kemember what the Lord has done and 
suffered for you — 

11 And let his love your heart constrain, 
Nor suffer him to call in vain." 

Now is the accepted time, and behold, now is the day of 
salvation. Then arise at once, and obey the Lord while he 
is inviting — that you may realize the healing power of the 
great physician of souls, and thus be made every whit 
whole. 

" None but Jesus, none but Jesus, 
Can do helpless sinners good." 

Then, cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, and 
apply at once to the great physician of souls. Comply 
with the directions given by his holy apostles, though all 
the doctors of divinity should oppose ; obey God, though 
the heavens should fall, and he will pardon the past, and 
give you that peace that none but God can give. 






SEKMON VI. 

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 

Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Rom. v, 1. 

The subject of justification is one of infinite importance 
to all the sons of men ; hence all should be anxious to fully 
understand it. To aicl the anxious, many sermons have 
been preached, and much has been written upon this sub- 
ject ; and still, intense darkness and mystery settle upon 
this awfully grand and glorious theme. 

To try to shed a ray of light upon the dark path of 
those who are seeking justification through the blood of 
the Lamb, is my design in writing and publishing this 
discourse. 

Greenfield defines the word dikaiod, from which we have 
justified in the text, thus : " To declare any one to be what 
he ought to be, and to treat him as such ; to declare one 
to be blameless, or innocent, 'and to treat him as such ; 
acquit, absolve/' etc. 

Then when any one is said in scripture to be justified, 
who has been guilty of transgressing God's righteous com- 
mands, we understand that the heavenly Father has acquit- 
ted or absolved him from all guilt, and now treats him as 
if he never had sinned against him ; and hence it is said, 

U3S) 



134 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

" being justified, we have peace with God." God receives 
those who are justified, into favor with himself: and hence 
they are said to have " fellowship with the Father, and 
with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John i, 3. How happy, 
then, must be the state of the justified. There is no re- 
flection so intolerable as the thought that God disapproves 
our conduct. To know that wherever we are, at our lying 
down and uprising, our outgoing and incoming — the dis- 
approbation of heaven rests upon us — who can bear the 
thought ! 

But this is no longer the case with those who are justi- 
fied. They have peace with God, and therefore stand and 
rejoice in hope of his glory. Yes, they even rejoice in 
tribulation, because the love of God is shed abroad in their 
hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto them. 

Now the apostle teaches that we are justified by faith; 
that it is by faith we have access into this gracious state. 
If, then, this glorious work is accomplished by faith, there 
are three questions that naturally arise in the mind : 

1. What is the Faith that justifies ? 

2. How is that Faith obtained ? 

3. How is that Faith to be employed, or exercised, 
IN order to be justified by it ? 

A moment's reflection will show the importance of these 
questions. If we are to be justified by faith, we want to 
know what faith is — for if we know not what it is, we do 
not know whether we have it or not — and thus we might 
be led to seek for that which we already possess. I have 
no doubt but this very fact has kept many from enjoying 
the blessing of justification, long after they possessed the 
faith necessary to give access into this grace. Instead of 
using their faith in the way the Scriptures require in order 
to justification, they have spent their time in seeking, they 
knew not what. But if we find, upon investigation, that 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 135 

we have not faith, we then wish to know how this faith is 
to he obtained, that we may seek so as to find. If, how- 
ever, we find we have the faith, and are not justified, we 
want to know how this faith is to be employed in order to 
bring the blessing of justification. 

Our future remarks upon this subject, then, will be di- 
rected to these interrogations. 

I. And first, what is that faith by which a sinner is jus- 
tified ? Now faith is one of those simple terms that can 
be made but little plainer by exposition. It is perfectly 
understood when applied to any proposition in the universe, 
excepting that of religion. Why is this the case ? It is 
believed among all Christians, that the Bible contains a 
revelation from God. A revelation is " the act of disclos- 
ing to others what was before unknown to them." (See 
Webster's Die.) 

Now, reader, suppose I propose to reveal something to 
you which you did not know before, and in making that 
revelation I employ words as the signs of the ideas I wish 
to communicate, with which you are well acquainted. You 
fully understand their meaning, as used on all other occa- 
sions, but I do not intend these words shall be so understood 
in this revelation. I have some secret meaning for these 
words, and yet I do not tell you what that meaning is. I 
ask, does not this communication fail to be a revelation to 
you ? Nay, it is worse than no communication, for you are 
misled by the words which I employ. You receive the 
wrong idea, and having learned that fact, you are left with- 
out any definite idea at all. 

Now we have said, the Bible contains a revelation from 
God to man. Faith is one of the words employed in that 
divine communication ; and now I ask if this term is not 
to be understood in the Bible according to its common 
acceptation, how shall we know what is affirmed? We can 



136 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

not. We will not, therefore, charge the spirit of all grace 
with thus mocking the miseries and wants of the children 
of men. In Heb. xi, 1, Paul thus defines faith: "Now 
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of 
things not seen." He then gives this example : " Through 
faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the 
word of God." Here faith is the evidence, or conviction, 
of that which we see not. We did not see God frame the 
universe by his almighty word, but by* faith we understand 
the fact. That is, faith is the firm conviction or belief of 
this truth. In the sixth verse of the same chapter, the 
apostle says : " Without faith it is impossible to please 
him ; for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, 
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him." Here the apostle uses the terms faith and belief as 
expressive of the same idea. Belief that God is, and that 
he is a rewarder of those who seek him diligently, is the 
faith that is necessary, in order to please God. In a word, 
the faith necessary to justification, is the cordial and un- 
doubting reception of the whole revelation of God to man, 
contained in that best of all books, the Bible. 

But through mercy and goodness, the heavenly father 
has embodied the essence and soul-stirring influence of this 
whole revelation, in three great facts, viz : " That Christ 
Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures ; that he 
was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according 
to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. xv, 3, 4. And to make the 
matter still more simple, and thus to adapt it more fully 
to our weak capacity, he has summed up the truth of these 
facts in one leading and fundamental proposition, viz : THAT 
Jesus Christ is the Son oe the Living GOD. This truth 
is so interwoven with the whole revelation of God to our 
world, that when it is believed with all the heart, we em- 
brace with it all the truths, facts, and promises contained 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 137 

in the sacred volume. If we believe that Christ is the Son 
of God, we believe that he died, was buried, and rose for 
us. And if we believe this, we believe that God is, and 
that he is a re warder of all who seek him aright. 

This view of the subject is an entire refutation of the 
strongest arguments used by the Eoman Catholic clergy, 
against the doctrine that the Bible is the only rule of faith. 
They say if this is so, we must read and understand every 
sentence, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of 
Eevelation, before we can have faith, or before we know 
whether we have true faith or not. 

We are willing to admit — nay, we are sure — that the 
more we know of God and his works, as developed in the 
different dispensations, the more enjoyment we have in our 
union with him. But it can not be proved that universal 
knowledge of all God's dealings, ancient and modern, with 
men and angels, was ever required, by an apostle, of any 
man in order to justification. " If thou belie vest with all 
thy heart, thou mayest," was the language of Philip to the 
Ethiopian. And when he replied, "I believe that Jesus 
Christ is the Son of God," he baptized him and he went on 
his way rejoicing. 

The only way in which we can justify this procedure is 
upon the principle just stated — that is, that this truth is 
so connected with the whole economy of salvation, that, 
believing it, we embrace the whole. Now he that believes 
this truth with all his heart, may have access into the grace 
of justification, and may there stand and rejoice in hope of 
the glory of God. 

He may then go on to add to this faith virtue, know- 
ledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, 
and charity, until he arrives to the stature of a perfect 
man in Christ Jesus. And as he grows in the knowledge 
12 



138 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

of our Lord Jesus Christ, mercy, grace and peace will be 
multiplied unto him. 

II. Having seen what that faith is that brings the bless- 
ing of justification, we will now proceed to consider our 
second question : How is that faith obtained ? 

In answer to this question, read the following scriptures : 
" And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of 
his disciples, which are not written in this book ; but these 
are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life 
through his name." John xx, 30, 31. Here the apostle 
teaches that that faith which gives life in the name of 
Jesus, which is the faith by which we are justified, is to be 
obtained through the writings of the witnesses of our Lord 
and Saviour. Notice, the apostle does not merely say that 
these things were performed that we might believe ; but 
that they were written for that purpose. In perfect accord- 
ance with this, is the language of our Saviour, recorded in 
John xvii, 20. " Neither pray I for these alone, but for 
them also which shall believe on me through their word/' 
etc. This passage shows as clear as cloudless noon-day, that 
persons are to believe on Christ, through the word of God, 
communicated to us by his holy apostles. 

The next proof that I will advance is that very familiar 
scripture, found in Eom. x, 17 : " So then faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the word of God." That is just 
saying that faith comes by hearing the word of God. The 
reader will notice that this is a general conclusion to which 
the apostle comes, after asking many very important ques- 
tions, and this too in the same general connection in which 
our text stands. It would seem that, after the apostle had 
stated the general fact that we are justified by faith, and 
having removed every objection to the justification of the 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 139 

Gentiles by the same faith, he anticipated the very question 
which we are now considering, and, as if to hush to silence 
all caviling on the subject, he says, "Faith comes by hear- 
ing the word of God." 

We will now present the reader a few examples, in which 
this doctrine is carried out in a practical illustration. In 
the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we learn 
that when the supernatural endowment of the Holy Ghost 
was received by these apostles, accompanied by a sound as 
of a mighty, rushing wind, attended by blazing tongues, 
which sat on each of them, the wondering multitude cried 
out, " These men are full of new wine." All will admit 
that at this time they had not the faith necessary to justi- 
fication. These stupendous miracles gave no faith in the 
name of Christ until they were accompanied by the " word 
of God." But when the divine testimony of the heavenly 
Father, as spoken by Joel, and David, and these newly- 
inspired apostles of the Lamb, was addressed to their 
understanding, it carried conviction home to their hearts, 
and they " said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men 
and brethren, ivhat shall ive do f 9 .Thus you perceive that 
these persons obtained faith by hearing the "word of 
God." 

Of the Samaritans, it is said, " When they believed 
Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of 
God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both 
men and women." Acts viii, 12. The Samaritans, then, 
obtained faith by hearing Philip announce the " WORD OF 
God." Again : " And it came to pass in Iconium, that 
they (Paul and Barnabas) went both together into the 
synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multi- 
tude, both of the Jews and also of the Greeks, believed." 
Acts xvi, 1. Thus did all this multitude believe " by hearing 
the WORD of God " proclaimed by Paul and Barnabas. Once 



140 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

more : "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, 
and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the 
scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs 
have suffered, and risen again from the dead, and that this 
Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. And some of them 
believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas ; and of the 
devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women 
not a few." Acts xvii, 2-4. Now, I ask, by what means 
did this people obtain faith ? Paul, " as his manner was," 
announced the great facts concerning Christ, viz : that he 
died for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead, 
but no person believes these things. The apostle knowing 
that " faith comes by hearing the word of God," proclaimed 
that divine testimony in their hearing for three Sabbath 
days in succession, and the result was that many believed. 

When Paul came to Corinth and proclaimed the " word 
OF God," it is said " many of the Corinthians, hearing, 
believed, and were baptized." Acts xviii, 8. The Corin- 
thians, then, believed by hearing the "word of God." In 
accordance with this fact, the apostle asks them, " who then 
is Paul or Apollos but ministers by whom you believed?" 
1 Cor. iii, 5. 

From the testimony now presented, illustrated, and 
enforced by the numerous examples which we have sub- 
mitted, we shall consider that it is fully proved that the 
faith which is necessary in order to justification, is obtained 
through the word of God, given by holy prophets and 
apostles, and recorded in the sacred volume, the Bible. 

We have been thus particular, because we know there 
are some popular objections to the doctrine which we have 
here advanced, some of w 7 hich we will now consider. 

1. It is objected that this makes faith rest on the word 
of man, inasmuch as the scriptures w T ere written by men. 

Answer. — Christ said to his Father, in reference to his 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 141 

apostles: " I have given unto them the words which thou 
gavest me, and they have received them.' ' John xvii. Then 
if we " believe through their word" we believe through the 
word of God. When Paul preached to the Thessalonians, 
he said they received his preaching " not as the word of 
man, but as it is in truth, the word of God." 1 Thess. ii, 
13. To prove to all, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that 
the apostles proclaimed the word of God, " God bore them 
witness, by signs and wonders, and divers miracles and 
gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his will." Heb. ii, 4. 
In view of this fact, Paul said to the Corinthians, " My 
speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of 
man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of 
power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom, of 
men, but in the power of God." 1 Cor. ii, 4, 5. The 
demonstration of the spirit here spoken of, was not the 
kind of spiritual demonstration we hear so much about in 
this our day, but it was the divers miracles and supernat- 
ural works performed by the apostles through the Holy 
Spirit, in demonstration of the truth of their teaching and 
doctrine. He, then, that believes on Jesus Christ through 
the living testimony of our God, contained in the scriptures 
given by inspired apostles and prophets, bases his faith not 
on the wisdom of man, but on the power of God. A sure 
foundation, indeed, on which to build our faith. 

2. Again : It is objected that faith produced by the word 
of God is historical faith, whereas the faith that justifies is 
experimental faith. 

Answer, — Strictly speaking, there can be no such thing 
as experimental faith, though all who believe have a corres- 
ponding experience. Hence, John says : " He that believ- 
eth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." 1 John 
v, 10. That is, he has the witness in himself that he does 
believe. He has an experimental consciousness within 



142 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

himself that he does believe on the Son of God. The same 
is true in reference to any proposition believed. This expe- 
rience, however, is not faith, but the effect of it. 

Reader, suppose you receive a letter from a friend inform- 
ing you that some of your relations had entered into an 
arrangement by which you were to receive ten thousand 
dollars, and that the money was ready for you. If you 
believe it, you are glad. You experience joy. But you do 
not believe because you are glad, but you are glad because 
you believe. Your faith, then, is not experimental; it 
rests on the testimony of another. Suppose A to have been 
sorely afflicted. If B should ask him if he had been sick, 
he would not say he believed he had. That he had been 
sick would be a matter of experience or knowledge with 
him, and not a matter of faith. Upon A's word, B may 
believe it. Then that A was sick, is a matter of knowledge 
with A, and of faith with B. Thus you perceive that there 
can be no such thing as experimental faith, for whenever 
anything becomes a matter of experience, it is a matter of 
knowledge, and ceases to be a matter of faith. If you call 
faith historical because produced by testimony, then all 
faith is historical, for all faith is produced by testimony, 
either human or divine. The faith for which we contend 
maybe called divine, because produced by divine testimony. 

3. It has been further objected that the faith that justi- 
fies is evangelical faith, but the faith produced by the gospel 
testimony is not evangelical. 

Answer. — The word evangelical has become as popular as 
the word orthodox once w-as. Indeed, it seems to have 
taken its place. Hence, we do not now hear so much about 
the orthodox sects, but the watch-word now is, " the evan- 
gelical tranches of Christ's church" 

Now, I affirm, according to the first and primary mean- 
ing of the word evangelical, that there can not be two 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 143 

evangelical churches in the world. What does this word 
mean ? " According to the gospel," Webster gives as its 
first meaning. Then, for a church to be evangelical, it 
must be according to the gospel. Can two churches, then, 
which are not like each other, both be according to - the 
gospel? Surely not, if the gospel is consistent with itself. 
Then they can not both be evangelical. After all the noise 
about evangelical churches, I doubt very much whether 
any one of all the sectarian parties now in Christendom 
can be proved to be evangelical. Will any one undertake 
it ? This, however, by the way. 

Having ascertained the meaning of the word evangelical, 
we will now notice the objection proposed. 

To say that faith produced by the gospel is not evangeli- 
cal, is to say that the gospel produces faith which is contrary 
to the gospel ! For if it is not evangelical faith, it is not 
according to the gospel, and if it is not according to the 
gospel, it must be contrary to it. This would be a violation 
of that universal law, that everything should bring forth 
after its kind. If the gospel produces faith, it must be 
according to the gospel, and therefore is evangelical. 

O, who can tell the evils that have grown out of these 
metaphysical expositions of faith. 

How often do we find persons who have all confidence in 
Christ as the only refuge of a sinking world, but who, 
when just about to venture on him, according to the gos- 
pel, for salvation, are told that they have no faith. The 
preacher tells them that faith is a divine substance im- 
parted to the heart by some superhuman power, and that 
they can no more believe than make a world, until they 
receive that influence. Struck with astonishment, they 
go to hear another teacher. He tells them that all the 
first teacher has said is true, but that they must come to 
the Lord and ask for faith, and he will give it. But before 



144 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

this teacher is through, he tells them that what is not of 
faith is sin ; and that they can not come to God so as to be 
accepted, without faith. Now they are confused — they know 
not what to do. One says, I have no faith ; God alone can 
give me faith ; but he has promised nothing to those who 
ask in unbelief. O, what shall I do? 

Now to all such I would say, that if you do believe con- 
fidently that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and Saviour 
of sinners, just come right along to him. Let all those 
human systems go ; cease from man, whose breath is in his 
nostrils, and rely alone on the name of Christ for salva- 
tion. 

One remark further on the subject of faith, and we will 
proceed to our third question. Some say, they understand 
faith to mean trust in Christ, or strong confidence in the 
Lord. Now I would suppose that trust or confidence in 
Christ was the effect of faith, and not faith itself. But as 
we have no idea that any person will ever be justified by 
faith, w T ho does not trust in Christ, and rely on him wholly 
for salvation, we will reason on the subject for a moment, 
as if this were the true meaning of faith. Two thing's are 
to be considered, when we trust in Christ for salvation — 
first, his power to save ; and secondly, his willingness to 
save. If we doubt either, we will not be disposed to trust 
in him. Now, with these two points in mind, let me ask, 
what is better calculated to give confidence in the power 
of Christ to save, than the gospel, or " word of God"? 
It unfolds to view the stupendous miracles which he per- 
formed, in proof of his mighty power. It teaches that he 
opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the 
deaf, caused the lame man to leap as an hart, and the 
tongue of the dumb to sing ; that the winds and seas were 
subject to his command ; that he cast out demons, and even 
raised the dead. But pursue the gospel account of the 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 145 

Saviour still further, and see him rising from the dark 
silence of the tomb, and unfurling the banner of immor- 
tality and eternal life over the cold grave of Joseph, thus 
inspiring a cheerless world with the hope of " an inheri- 
tance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 
1 Pet. i, 3, 4. Who, I ask, after all these displays 
of mighty power, can doubt Christ's ability to save sin- 
ners ? 

But do we doubt his willingness to save ? Then look at 
his sufferings on our account, as revealed in the gospel. 
See him lay aside that glory which he had with the Father, 
before the world was, and become a man of sorrow and 
acquainted with grief. Behold his tender mercies extended 
to all the sons of affliction who called upon him while he 
was in the flesh. Follow him to the gloomy garden of 
Gethsemane, at the dark hour of midnight, and see him 
there, prostrate on the cold ground, praying until his sweat 
became as great drops of blood, falling to the ground. 
Behold him crowned with thorns and clothed in mock robes, 
to all of which he submits without a single murmur. But 
to close the scene of suffering on our behalf, see him nailed 
to the Boman cross, and even there you see his mercy ex- 
pressed in prayers for his murderers, while in the very 
agonies of death. While he suffers, all nature bears tes- 
timony to his divinity. The earth trembles to her solid 
base, and the mighty rocks are torn asunder ; the bright 
luminary of day throws a dark vail of mourning over his 
glorious face, and even the vail of the Jewish temple is 
rent in twain, from top to bottom. Surely, if all these 
manifestations of love, expressed in sweat, and tears, and 
blood, and death, will not inspire the believer's heart with 
confidence in the willingness of Christ to save sinners, 
nothing in the vast universe of the Almighty would. And 
let it be remembered, that all these glorious facts we learn 
13 



146 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

in the gospel, or the word of God, so that, even according 
to this last definition of faith, all must see that " faith 
comes by hearing the word of God." 

III. We now come to our third question, viz : How must 
faith be employed, in order to be justified by it? 

I would now inquire, first of all, does faith justify ? We 
answer with an emphatic NO ; for the apostle says, " it is 
God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth?" Rom. 
viii, 33, 34. If, then, it is God who justifies, or pardons 
the sinner — and yet, it is said, we are justified by faith — 
I ask again, is there anything meritorious in faith ? Does 
the sinner merit pardon by believing ? No one will affirm 
that he does ; for this would be to say that there is so 
much value in faith, that we could even purchase a seat in 
the world of glory with it ! This would make the enjoy- 
ment of heaven to be of debt, and not by grace. If, then, 
it is God that justifies, and we are justified by faith — and 
yet, faith does not purchase pardon — we ask again, does 
faith influence God to pardon the believer ? Does the pow- 
erful influence of faith pass upon the supreme Being, and 
move him to be gracious to the sinner? Does faith " move 

THE HAND THAT MOVES THE WORLD ? " 

From the manner in which some talk, and teach, and 
pray, I suppose that they think that faith has some con- 
trolling influence on the mind of the Saviour. The reader, 
no doubt, has often witnessed the scenes which transpire at 
camp-meetings, and even other meetings where there is much 
excitement, and where there are many desiring to obtain 
that justification whereof we speak. Now I refer to these 
customs with due regard for the good feelings of all who 
thus practice. But the public practice and teaching, of 
any body of professing Christians, is public property, and 
ought to be made a matter of public conversation, and in- 
vestigation, inasmuch as we are all liable to err. By this 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 147 

means, we may be enabled to correct many improprieties 
which we might never see without pursuing this course. 

Then to return to the subject we had in view. When a 
number of persons come forward to the ;; mourner's bench" 
or modern altar, to seek justification, how often do we hear 
the leaders exhort their brethren thus : Now, brethren, let 
us besiege a throne of grace by faith and prayer, and let 
us never give over until these anxious souls are justified. 
Influenced by this exhortation, some ten, fifteen, or twenty 
persons will sometimes engage in public prayer at the same 
time. One who knew no better, would suppose that they 
were trying to see who could pray the loudest, as if they 
believed that the loudest prayer would have the most influ- 
ence on the Saviour. 

We often hear the "mourners" exhorted to " act faith 
on Christ." Is not that saying that their faith is to act 
upon Christ so as to obtain his favor? Sometimes, we 
have heard them told to lay hold of the Saviour by faith, 
and never let him go until he bless you. This is certainly 
saying, that the sinner's faith is to move God to justify 
him who exerts it. We sometimes hear these expressions : 
" O for a little more faith f 3 " Lord, come and give us that 
faith that takes no denial." And I once heard a man in 
one of these scenes, cry out at the very top of his voice, 
" Lord, come and give us that faith that says, IT shall 
be DONE ! " I have often thought of that prayer, and the 
doctrine expressed by it, since I heard it. Was it not vir- 
tually saying to the good Being, Lord, here are persons 
who want to be justified, and I have the will, but not the 
power to do the work. You, Lord, have the power, but 
lack the will. Now, Lord, just resign your supreme au- 
thority iuto my hands, and then I will compel you to par- 
don them all in a moment ! 

But to say the very least, all this practice and teaching 



148 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

does convey the idea that these people do believe that faith 
has an influence on the Deity ; and that when they say 
that a sinner is justified by faith, they mean that faith in- 
fluences God to justify him. ! how far will honest men 
let their feelings lead them ! 

Now, I have not the most distant idea that our faith has 
any influence whatever on the mind of our Heavenly 
Father. The scriptures abundantly teach that he is the 
same yesterday, to-day, and forever ; that God changes not ; 
and that he always stands with arms spread wide, ready 
to receive and pardon the repenting sinner, whenever he 
complies with the terms which he has ordained. 

The question then may recur, what has faith to do in 
this great work ? I will simply say, that all the power 
and influence of the believer's faith passes on himself — on 
his own heart and will — and is the moral lever which turns 
his heart over to the Lord, and influences him to comply 
with God's terms of pardon ; and when this point is gained 
in the sinner's heart by faith, and he complies, God par- 
dons his sins — not because his faith has overcome the su- 
preme Being — but because it has overcome the sinner's 
will, and brought him where the Lord promised to pardon. 

Before I proceed to investigate the subject farther, I wish 
to state a few plain propositions : 

1. " It is God that justifies." This we have stated be- 
fore, but I wish it to be riveted on every mind. We can 
not pardon our own sins, nor the sins of our neighbor. If 
we are ever pardoned, God must do it. 

2. If God justifies a sinner at all, he does it on the 
principle of mercy. We can not purchase pardon of the 
Lord, for this plain reason : " The earth is the Lord's, and 
the fullness thereof." We have nothing which we can call 
our own, with which to purchase God's favor. We, our- 
selves, belong to God, with all we have and are. Should 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 149 

the sinner offer his body as a ransom for his soul, the Lord 
might respond, " You belong to me, both soul and body." 
! when we take this view of the subject of justification, 
who will not stand, and wonder, and adore the grace of 
God, who has thus offered pardon to a rebellious world, 
" without money and without price v ? 

3. God has a right, as the Sovereign of the universe, to 
stipulate his own terms of pardon, or justification. No 
person can object to this, seeing that the Lord pardons of 
entire mercy, without any merit on our part. If we pur- 
chased pardon of the Lord, then we might with some pro- 
priety desire to have some hand in stipulating the terms. 
But as we are poor, helpless, blind, sinful, and rebellious 
creatures, we should be willing for the merciful Father of 
spirits to set his own terms of pardon. Though all admit 
the truth of this proposition, yet many terms of pardon 
have been offered to the world, which God never proposed, 
but which are the mere inventions of men ! 

4. If God proposes terms of pardon to man, for man's 
benefit, it is reasonable to suppose that these terms will be 
so plainly revealed, that all persons interested may under- 
stand and comply with them. This, we affirm, is true in 
reference to the gospel terms of pardon — so that no person 
who learns what to do to be saved, from the New Testa- 
ment, need go seeking pardon for weeks, and months, and 
even years, as some have done. 

5. The last proposition that I now wish to make is, that 
if God has stipulated his own terms of pardon, we ought 
to submit and comply with them if we wish to be par- 
doned. We ought not to utter the first murmur, nor raise 
the least objection, but we should go forward and obey God 
and live. 

But the man without faith has no disposition or will to 
comply with these terms, and hence, he remains unjustified. 



150 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

But when he believes in Christ with all his heart, he 
beholds by faith the overwhelming facts of the gospel, 
which express the love of God to a ruined world in such 
strong terms that his heart is affected, and he cries out, 

" I yield, I yield i 
I can hold out no more 
I sink, by dying love compelled, 
And own thee conqueror." 

Thus his faith subdues his will, and purifies his heart, 
and influences him to say, " Lord, what wilt thou have me 
to do?" The gospel directs him to heaven's appointed 
terms of pardon. Moved forward by the mighty power of 
his faith in all the facts, commands, and promises of the 
gospel, he complies with these terms and is justified, and 
" stands and rejoices in hope of the glory of God." 

The Bible furnishes many examples illustrative of what 
we have now stated. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews 
we find some very striking ones. In verse 29, it is said: 
" By faith they (the children of Israel) passed through the 
Eed sea as by dry land," etc. 

Xow, it is just as positively asserted in this passage that 
the children of Israel passed through the Bed Sea by faith, 
as it is in our text that we are justified by faith. The same 
phraseology is used in the two cases. If then we can learn 
how Israel passed through the Bed Sea by faith, it will 
show us how a sinner is justified by faith. What are the 
facts, then, in the case of Israel? When, as the messen- 
ger of God, Moses had brought that people unto the Bed 
Sea, their hearts failed them. When they saw the proud 
billows rolling high before them, while wave after wave 
lashed the shore at their feet, and, understanding that 
Pharaoh, with mighty hosts, was pursuing them hard by, 
t-hey cried out unto Moses, " Because there were no graves 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 151 

in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? 
It had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die 
in the wilderness/' Ex. xiv, 11, 12. But, after Moses had 
stilled the people by telling them to stand still and see the 
salvation of the Lord, directed by Omnipotence, he stretched 
the rod he held in his hand over the waters, and they 
divided hither and thither and stood as walls on either 
hand. Then God, by the mouth of Moses, said to the peo- 
ple, " Go forward/ 7 Now, all must see in a moment that 
obedience to that command was necessary in order to their 
deliverance, 'and that faith w x as necessary in order to that 
obedience. Suppose that they had looked at these moun- 
tains of water on each hand, and then looked down into the 
bed of the Red Sea, until they doubted the will or power 
of God to hold back the waters until they all reached the 
other shore, do you suppose they would have gone forward ? 
Surely not. They would have stood trembling and doubt- 
ing, until Pharaoh would have come down upon them with 
all his mighty hosts, and led them back to Egypt as his 
lawful subjects. So, I awfully fear, some will stand doubting 
whether God will save them even if they obey his plain 
commands, until one mightier than Pharaoh shall take 
them to' eternity unprepared. Israel, however, believed 
that what God had promised he would perform, and what 
he had now undertaken he would accomplish. Encouraged 
and strengthened by this faith, they obeyed God. They 
ventured down into the very bed of the Red Sea, and, 
influenced by faith, they passed forward until they were 
heard to sing the song of deliverance on the other shore. 
Then they did not sit still, and believe themselves across 
these mighty deeps, nor did they transport themselves to 
the other shore by a mere " act of faith ;" but faith influ- 
enced them to obey God, walking through the Red Sea, as 
on dry land. Just so I understand a sinner is justified by 



152 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

faith. Faith takes away every objection to obedience, and 
leads him to a compliance with heaven's terms of justifica- 
tion. 

Perhaps some may now be ready to object to the view 
which we have presented, because it destroys the doctrine 
of justification by faith alone, which they conceive to be 
taught in the text under consideration. If you will look again, 
my brother, you will see that the little particle alone is not in 
the text. If Paul had said we are justified by faith alone, 
he would have contradicted James, who says ; " Ye see how 
that by works a man is justified, and not by 'faith only/' 
James ii, 25. There is one fact of much importance in the 
case of these two apostles, and that is, that they both refer 
to Abraham, the father of the faithful, as an example by 
which to illustrate their doctrine of justification. Prom 
this fact we may infer that both designed to teach the 
same doctrine. 

But one may be ready to ask, does not Paul teach that 
Abraham was justified without works? He says: "If 
Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory, 
but not before God." Rom. iv, 2. On the plan of justifica- 
tion which Paul taught, boasting was excluded. See Rom. 
iii, 27. But I ask if those who teach that "justification 
by faith alone is a wholesome doctrine and very full of 
comfort," have not as much room for boasting in their sys- 
tem as those have who teach a gospel obedience in order to 
justification ? They exhort the people to believe unto life ; 
to lay hold of the Saviour by faith, and never let him go 
until he bless them, which certainly gives the person who 
believes that he obeys this exhortation, grounds to boast 
over those who have not faith enough to thus hold the Sav- 
iour fast. But those who teach the gospel plan of salvation 
make no effort to move God to be merciful. They do not 
ask him to change his own arrangement for salvation. 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 153 

They claim no part in fixing the terms of pardon. They 
ask nothing on the ground of merit, either for believing or 
obeying, but they simply commit their souls' eternal 
interest unto the Lord in well doing, as unto a faithful 
Creator. Now, I ask, whose system gives the most room 
for boasting? 

I have long thought, however, that it was doing great 
injustice to any writer, whether inspired or uninspired, to 
take a small scrap, say a sentence, or part of a sentence, 
out of his writings, and from that form our opinions of 
his whole belief. That we may, therefore, do the apostle 
Paul, and the subject under consideration, as well as our 
readers, ample justice, we will now go into an examination 
of the apostle's whole argument, found in connection with 
Eom. v, 1, and I think that we shall be able, not only to 
reconcile Paul and James, but also to make it plain that 
Paul to the Eomans teaches the very doctrine which we 
have now presented. 

But before we open the book, I wish to make a few gen- 
eral statements, to prepare our minds for the investigation. 
It will be admitted by all, that to understand an argument 
in all its force and application, it is necessary to know the 
proposition to be proved by it. For example, I might state 
a proposition in the hearing of a congregation, and com- 
mence presenting arguments to prove it. Suppose a person 
comes in after the proposition is presented, and therefore 
hears my arguments without knowing what I intended to 
prove by them, and leaves before I make the application — 
could he see all the force and beauty of the argument ? 
No ; he might even draw doctrines from my language which 
I never intended to teach. But those who know the 
proposition I am aiming to prove, know just what use to 
make of my arguments. They can take them and place 
them up by the side of the proposition, and see their 



154 THE Fx\MILY COMPANION. 

applicability to it, and determine whether they sustain it or 
not. And when they have done this, no honest man among 
them will go further. They will not push my arguments fur- 
ther than I intended, or beyond what I aimed to prove by 
them, To do this would be to do me injustice, and to prac- 
tice an imposition on all who might hear them. 

Just so we say in relation to the arguments introduced in 
the New Testament by the apostles. To understand them, 
and see their power and beauty, we must consider the points 
which they intended to prove by them ; and we should 
never push any argument used by an apostle beyond what 
he intended. The points to be proved by an apostolic 
argument may generally be learned by carefully reading 
the whole context, and noticing the general conclusions 
which the writer has drawn. 

For want of attention to these things, much, very much, 
of the confusion which now exists in the religious world 
has originated. Teachers of religion have taken single 
expressions in the middle of arguments, and, without con- 
sidering the nature of the arguments in which they stand, 
or the propositions to be proved by them, have used them 
as if they contained the whole of the apostles' teaching, 
and have thus built doctrines and systems of doctrines, on 
these expressions, which the apostles never intended nor 
even thought of. And the epistle we have now under 
consideration has been treated in this way more, perhaps, 
than any other part of the New Testament. 

To prepare us, then, for a correct understanding of that 
part of this epistle which we shall examine, we will state 
emphatically, that Paul's letter to the Romans is an argu- 
mentative document. At the time that this letter was 
written, there was one leading subject of controversy which 
occupied the minds of both believing Jews and Gentiles, 
namely : shall the believing Gentiles be admitted to all the 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 155 

blessings of the gospel in common with the believing Jews ? 
Paul took the affirmative, and the Jews the negative of 
this question. Now, to prove that we are correct in our 
general statements so far, the reader will please turn to 
and read Acts xi, 2, 3 ; 1 Thess. ii, 15, 16. 

In this epistle, as well as in Galatians and Ephesians, Paul 
presents his leading arguments in support of the ground he 
occupied on this subject. Even in the first chapter and 
fifth verse, he begins to show the design of his arguments. 
He says, speaking of Christ, " By whom we have received 
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all 
nations, for his name." This verse contains two important 
items: 1. That the design of his apostleship was not to 
teach men that they could be justified by faith alone, but 
that in order to enjoy the blessing of faith, there must be 
obedience to the faith, (or to the gospel — the effect, which 
is faith, being put for the cause, which is the gospel). 
2. That this obedience by faith was to be preached among 
all nations — thus intimating that all men, both Jew and 
Gentile, might perform this obedience, and be justified. 
At verse sixteen he comes out more plainly, and says: " I 
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power 
of God unto salvation to every one that believes, to the 
Jew first, and also to the Greek." Here the apostle de- 
clares to the Jew, that the gospel exerts as much saving 
power on the heart of a believing Gentile, as it does on the 
heart of a believing Jew 7 ; and he offers this as a reason 
why he is not ashamed of it. Query : Would not Paul, 
were he here now r , be ashamed of that perversion of the 
gospel which offers its blessings only to a part of the 
human family, passing the rest by to perish in their sins ? 

To show that the Jew could claim nothing over the Gen- 
tile on account of his former good works, the apostle notices 
the character of both — of the Gentiles in the first chapter, 



156 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and of the Jews in the third. In the second chapter, he 
testifies that the name of God was blasphemed among the 
Gentiles, on account of the wickedness of the Jews. 

Before introducing the character of the Jews, in chapter 
third, he presents this question and answer to them : " Are 
we [Jews] better than they ? No, in no wise ; for we have 
before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all 
under sin." Verse 9. He then points out their awful char- 
acter, and closes by saying : " Now we know that whatso- 
ever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under 
the law ; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the 
world may become guilty before God." Verse 9. Thus the 
apostle places all the world, nationally, both Jews and 
Gentiles, on common ground — so far as moral conduct is 
concerned — and by this course proves to the Jews, that 
God has acted justly and graciously, in offering the salva- 
tion of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles, on the same prin- 
ciples. 

But we have not room to notice all the apostle's argu- 
ments introduced in this epistle, to prove his proposition. 
We hope we have presented enough to show that one lead- 
ing design of this letter, w T as to prove that God has put no 
difference between Jews and Gentiles, purifying their hearts 
by faith. If the reader, however, desires more proof, he 
is referred to Acts iii, 29 ; iv, 9-11 ; ix, 24-25 ; x, 12. 

Having gained this point, the Jew would say: " Well, 
we will admit that the Gentiles maybe justified and saved, 
if they will be circumcised and keep the law of Moses." 
See Acts xv, 1, 2. This brought up another proposition for 
discussion, viz : Must the Gentiles be circumcised, and do 
the works required in Moses 7 law, in order to be justified? 
On this proposition, the Jews affirmed, and Paul denied. 
Before the apostle commences his argument on this sub- 
ject, he makes one sweeping proposition: " Therefore, by 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 157 

the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his 
sight;" iii, 20. But the Jew would say, How, then, are 
we to be justified ? The apostle answers : " But now the 
righteousness of God (or God's righteous system of justi- 
fication) without the law, is manifested (or revealed), being 
witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteous- 
ness of God, which is by faith of (in) Jesus Christ, unto all 
and upon all them that believe ; for there is no difference, 
for &11 have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 
Verse 21, etc. 

The apostle proceeds to state, that God has set Christ 
forth to be a propitiation (or mercy seat), to declare his 
righteousness for the remission of past sins, through faith 
in his blood. Thus he would teach the Jews, that instead 
of seeking justification now, by going to the mercy seat in 
the holy place made by hands, they must come to Christ, 
by faith in his blood, in order to be justified. That he is 
the mercy seat now, from or through whom God is declared 
to be just, when he justifies him that believes in Jesus. 
He then inquires, " Where is boasting?- — it is excluded. 
By what law ? — of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith." 
Verse 27. That the law of works here named, was the 
law of Moses, which the Jews said the Gentiles must keep, 
in order to be saved, no one, we presume, will deny ; and 
that the law of faith is the. same which is called in viii, 
2, " the law of the spirit," we think will also be admitted. 
By this law of faith, or of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, 
Paul, with all Christians in his day, were made free from 
the law of sin and death, on such principles as excluded all 
boasting. " Therefore, we conclude (says Paul), that a 
man is justified by faith (or the law of faith which he had 
just mentioned), without the deeds of the law," (the law 
of Moses). 

We will now proceed to the two illustrious examples 



158 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

introduced by the apostle in the fourth chapter, to confirm 
the doctrine he had advanced, viz : that of Abraham and 
David. And while we examine these examples, let it be 
remembered that Paul is still arguing that the Gentiles, 
and all others, may now be justified without the deeds of 
the law of Moses ; that by these works, no flesh shall be 
justified in the sight of God. As David's case occurred 
during the life-time of the law, we will examine it first. 

In chapter iv, 6-8, Paul says : " David, also, describeth 
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth right- 
eousness without w^orks, saying, Blessed are they whose 
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed 
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." This 
is a quotation from Psalm xxxii, w r here David speaks of 
his own pardon of the sin of shedding blood, in the case of 
Uriah. See 2 Sam. xi, 15-17. We have a prayer of 
David in the 51st Psalm, in reference to this crime, in 
which he says, " Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, 
for thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou 
delightest not in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are 
a broken spirit." This prayer most evidently refers to the 
sin of shedding the blood of Uriah, and the reason w r hv he 
said God required no sacrifice in his case, w r as because the 
law admitted of none. Por the pardon of the sin which 
David had committed, the law made no provision, but de- 
clared most positively, that " whoso killeth any person, the 
murderer shall be put to death." " Moreover, ye shall 
take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer who is 
guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death." 
Num. xxxv, 30, 31. See the whole chapter. 

With this law before his mind, David might well say, 
" Thou desirest not sacrifice," etc. That David is consid- 
ered the real murderer of Uriah, is evident from what 
Nathan the prophet said unto him : " Thou art the man" 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 159 

said he; "thou hast killed Uriah, the Hittite, with the 
sword." 2 Sam. xii, 8, 9. Yet God, for somewise purpose, 
authorized the prophet to say to David : " The Lord also 
hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die." Verse 13. In 
view of this fact, David said, " Blessed is the man whose 
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered;" and Paul, 
knowing that this pardon was obtained without the deeds 
of the law r , says that David, in this passage, " describeth 
the blessedness of the man to wdiom God imputeth right- 
eousness without w r orks." But the Jew might now say to 
the apostle, What does all this prove ? The reply is easy. 
If God pardoned David without the deeds of the law r , then 
the Gentiles may now be justified without the works of the 
law. That this is the point in this argument, is clear, from 
the question with which it is closed : " Cometh this blessed- 
ness, then, upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncir- 
cumcision also?" V. 9. 

We will now proceed to consider the example of Abra- 
ham, the father of the faithful, as employed by the apostle 
Paul, to illustrate and enforce his doctrine of justification. 
The reader will now turn to the fourth chapter of Komans, 
and examine it carefully as he peruses this part of this 
discourse. Paul says, "For if Abraham w r ere justified by 
works, he hath w T hereof to glory, but not before God." V. 
2. That is, if Abraham merited justification by the works 
of the law, then he might glory in his own performance, 
but not in God's grace. " For what saith the scripture ? 
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for 
righteousness." It was reckoned a righteous thing for him 
to believe God. " Now to him that worketh, is the reward 
reckoned not of grace, but of debt." V. 4. That is, if he 
merit the rew T ard by his works, he receives it as a debt due 
him, and not as a matter of grace. "But to him that 
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the 



160 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." V. 5. He 
that does not perform the works of the law, but believes 
on God, that faith is counted unto him as righteous, though 
he be not circumcised. If the apostle, in these verses, 
does not refer to the works of the law, there is no force in 
his argument at all. We must remember that Paul is 
here reasoning with the Jews> who said, " Except a man 
be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, he can not be 
saved." Acts xv. This, Paul denies ; and while reasoning 
on the subject, makes the declarations quoted above. He 
had alreadv said, in this same argument, " Bv the deeds 
of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God ; 
and that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of 
the law." Ch. iii, 20-28. Having thus so distinctly named 
the works of the law, it was not necessary for him to men- 
tion the law every time he named these works. But lest 
some should forget what kind of works he was speaking 
of, and thus be misled, he says, at verse 13, " For the 
promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not 
to Abraham, or to his seed through the law, but through 
the righteousness of faith ; for if they which are of the 
law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of 
none effect." V. 13, 14. That is, if a person is made heir 
of the blessings of the gospel, merely because he belongs 
to, or does the works of the law, faith in God, in his prom- 
ise, and in his Son our Saviour, is worthless, and God's 
promise is made of none effect, or it has failed — for that 
promise said, " In thy seed shall all the families of the earth 
be blessed" without saying one word about the law, and 
even before it was given. 

But let us hear the apostle further. " We say that faith 
was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it 
then reckoned ? When he was in circumcision, or in uncir- 
cumcision ? Not in circumcision, but in uiicircumcision. 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 161 

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the 
righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncir- 
cumcised." V. 9-11. Now, reader, do you see the point in 
this argument ? If you do not consider the proposition to 
be proved by it, I know you do not. Remember, then, that 
Paul is arguing that men may be justified without the 
deeds of the law. Then the argument stands thus : Abra- 
ham's faith was counted to him for righteousness when he 
was in uncircumcision, and he was justified before the giv- 
ing of the law, therefore the Gentiles and all others may 
now have an acceptable faith without circumcision, and may 
be justified without the deeds of Moses' law. This argu- 
ment could not be withstood by any honest Jew. 

But the apostle goes on to state that Abraham received 
this seal of. the righteousness of his faith "that he might 
be the father of all them that believe, though they be 
not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to 
them also ; and the father of circumcision to them who are 
not of the circumcision only, but who walk in the steps of 
that faith of our father Abraham which he had, being yet 
uncircumcised." V. 11, 12. This declaration speaks vol- 
umes. It show T s that righteousness may be imputed or 
reckoned to both Jews and Gentiles without the deeds of 
the law, from the fact that Abraham stands as the father 
of all believers who walk in the steps of his faith. It also 
shows that Abraham's faith was a moving, acting, walking 
faith, and it has left its footsteps behind, and now if we 
wish to have our faith reckoned to us for righteousness, we 
must walk in the steps of that faith. Notwithstanding 
the apostle has been arguing that it is not necessary to do 
the works of the law in order to be justified, he here shows 
plainly that if we wish to enjoy the blessings of justifica- 
tion, we must do as Abraham did — we must obey God — for 
this did Abraham. 
14 



162 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Now, we ask, where is the disagreement "between Paul 
and James ? Paul does not say that Abraham performed 
no acts of obedience in order to his justification, but that 
he did not do the deeds of the law. This w r as all it was 
necessary for him to prove in order to sustain the cause for 
which he plead. The apostle James, however, has another 
subject under consideration, and is arguing in reference to 
another law, which he calls the perfect law of liberty." 
Ch. i, 25. In order to be justified by this law, James 
teaches that obedience to its commands is necessary, and 
even goes so far as to say that faith without works is dead. 
Ch. ii, 26. To prove this position, he brings forth the 
example of Abraham, and says : " Vfas not Abraham, our 
father, justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son 
upon the altar ? Seest thou how faith wrought with his 
works, and by faith was works made perfect ? And the 
scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, 
and it was imputed to him for righteousness." Ch. ii, 21-23. 
The reader must remember that Abraham's obedience in 
offering his son Isaac on the altar, was performed before 
the law of Moses was given, and therefore could not be 
reckoned among the works of the law of which Paul speaks 
when speaking of the justification of Abraham without 
works. 

It is no more than just, however, to let every writer 
explain his own teaching; therefore we will hear Paul 
again : u For when God made promise to Abraham, because 
he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, 
Surely, blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will 
multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he 
obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, 
and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all 
strife." Heb. vi, 13, etc. Now, when did God confirm the 
promise made to Abraham by an oath ? We answer, when 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 163 

he had offered his son upon the altar, which the reader will 
see by referring to Genesis xxii, 15, 16. "And the angel 
of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven, the second 
time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for 
because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld 
thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee," 
etc. This is the first, and perhaps the only time that God 
confirmed the promise made to Abraham by an oath, and 
therefore must be the time referred to in Heb. vi, 13-15. 

And now, by referring to the customs of men, he shows 
that at this time God removed all doubt or strife in refer- 
ence to that promise, by confirming it in the most solemn 
manner. As if he had said, Abraham believed God's 
promise made to him at different times, and his faith was 
reckoned as righteous, but the Lord never confirmed that 
promise by an oath until his faith was put to the test — 
until he tried him, and this he did bv commanding him to 
offer his beloved Isaac as a sacrifice upon the altar. And 
when Abraham had virtually obeyed that command, God 
confirmed the promise, and said that it was because he had 
done this, and had not withheld his son, that he would thus 
bless him. 

This is precisely what the apostle James teaches — that 
is, that Abraham's faith was made perfect by works, and 
that the scripture which says, Abraham believed God and 
it was counted to him for righteousness, was fulfilled when 
he had offered his son Isaac on the altar. How beautifully 
this agrees w T ith and illustrates the gospel system of justi- 
fication. 1st, The word or promise of God. 2d, Faith in 
that word. 3d, Obedience growing out of that faith. 
4th, Justification. 5th, Rejoicing in hope of the glory of 
God. 

But let us hear Paul once more : " By faith, Abraham, 
when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received 



164: THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it is 
said, in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God 
was able to raise him up even from the dead." Heb. xi, 17, 
etc. Here Paul declares that Abraham offered his son by 
faith; but was it hj faith alone? No. But faith influ- 
enced him to obey the command which required this offer- 
ing, and this was done to try his faith. And never was 
any man's faith put to a more severe test. Gcd had prom- 
ised Abraham that in his seed should all the families of 
the earth be blessed, and told him that in Isaac his seed 
should be counted. Gen. xxi, 12. In Isaac, then, was the 
only hope of the fulfillment of this promise. But God 
commands him to slay his son Isaac, and offer him on an 
altar as a sacrifice. Here the promise and command seemed 
to clash. Abraham might have reasoned thus: if I obey 
this command, the promise of God must fail ; but if I do 
not obey, I shall be condemned as a transgressor. What 
shall I do ? And then to slay my beloved son Isaac — how 
can I bear the thought. All the tender feelings of my 
heart twine around this son. I love him affectionately ; 

0, how can I slay him ! But he staggered not between the 
promise and command. He believed God's promise would 
be fulfilled if he obeyed him, " accounting that God was 
able to raise him from the dead/' and from the moldering 
ashes upon Mount Moriah's altar, bring forth the living 
Isaac again, and through him fulfill all the promises made 
to his father Abraham. Hence he prepared the altar, " and 
laid the wood in order upon it, and bound his son Isaac, and 
laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham 
stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of hea- 
ven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am 

1. And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither 
do thou anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 165 

God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only 
son from rae." Gen. xxii, 9, etc. All this Paul declares 
was done by faith, and that here God put an end to all 
strife concerning his promise, by confirming it with an oath. 
And James says that this is the time when the scripture 
was fulfilled which says, " Abraham believed God and it was 
imputed to him for righteousness. " Thus are these two 
apostles reconciled, and the doctrine of justification in obe- 
dience produced by faith fully established. 

But now let us ask the apostle Paul direct : Do you in- 
tend to teach that, under the gospel of Christ, we must 
perform any act of obedience in order to be justified? 
Answer — " God be thanked that ye were the servants of 
sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doc- 
trine which was delivered you. Being then made free from 
sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Rom. vi, 
17, 18. Let it be remembered that this language is found 
in connection with Paul's teaching on the subject of justifi- 
cation which we have been considering, and is a continuation 
of the same subject. It would seem that Paul supposed 
that from what he had said about justification without 
works, the works of the law, the Jews would say, Then we 
may continue in sin that grace may abound, and that we 
are at liberty to sin, because we are not under the law but 
under grace, and that justification may now be obtained by 
faith, without any obedience whatever. But the apostle 
says, God forbid that I should teach such doctrine, and 
refers them to the time when all Christians were made 
free from sin, and reminds them of the fact that this bless- 
ing was obtained when they obeyed from the heart the form 
of doctrine which was delivered them. 

I will close my remarks on this point with the words of 
the apostle Peter, addressed to those who have been justi- 
fied according to the gospel of Christ : " Seeing ye have 



166 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit, 
unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one 
another with a pure heart, fervently." ! let all those 
who have embraced the gospel, and manifested their faith 
in God by obeying the form of doctrine delivered in his 
word, be careful to maintain good works, that they who 
speak against you as evil doers, may by your good works, 
which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visita- 
tion. 

Having seen that when persons were justified by faith, 
in the days of the apostles, they obeyed from the heart the 
form of doctrine delivered them, we will now endeavor to 
show what that form of doctrine is. We would first sug- 
gest that doctrine can not be obeyed — doctrine is to be be- 
lieved, and commandments are to be obeyed. Again, the 
form of any thing is not the thing itself, but a representa- 
tion of it. The likeness of General Washington, which 
the reader may have in his room, is not General Washing- 
ton, but the form, or representation of him. So, the form 
of doctrine, in obedience to which persons are justified, is 
a representation of the doctrine, and as there can be no 
obedience where there is no command, this form of doctrine 
must be composed of a class of commands which represent 
the doctrine. 

Now, if we can ascertain what the doctrine is, we will 
be better prepared to understand its form. The leading, 
all-important, and fundamental points in the gospel of 
Christ, or Christian doctrine, are summed up by Paul thus : 
u How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scrip- 
tures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the 
third day, according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. xv, 3, 4. 
In this doctrine, which the apostle calls the gospel, there 
are three points: 1. Christ died for sin. 2. He was buried. 
3. He rose again. 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 167 

Now, I ask every Bible student to point out three 
commands that will represent or show forth these facts. 
Will faith alone do it ? When faith in these facts kills 
the love of sin in the believer's heart, it may show forth 
the death of Christ ; but two facts in the doctrine remain 
unrepresented. There must then be in this form of doc- 
trine, some command, by obeying which, the believer shows 
forth the burial and resurrection of our blessed Lord. But 
let us hear Paul himself upon this subject, in the same 
chapter where he mentions the form of doctrine. 

" What shall we say, then ? Shall we continue in sin 
that grace may abound ? God forbid. How shall we that 
are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? " Eom. vi, 1, 2. 
Here is the first point in the form of doctrine. The first 
item in the doctrine is, Christ died for sin ; the first item 
in the form of docrine is, that we die to sin. " Know ye 
not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, 
were baptized into his death ? Therefore we are (or were, 
to continue the same tense), buried with him, by baptism, 
into death ; that like as Christ was raised up from the 
cead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 
walk in new T ness of life." V. 3, 4. 

In this form is represented the death of Christ, in our 
death to sin ; his burial in our immersion, and his resurrec- 
tion in our rising from the watery grave, to walk in new- 
ness of life. This, then, must be the form of doctrine 
which persons obeyed when they were made free from sin, 
under the immediate teaching of the inspired apostles of 
the Lamb. Hence Paul goes on to say, " For if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall 
be also in the likeness of his resurrection." V. 5. 

With this view agrees the teaching of Christ and his 
holy apostles. Christ commanded his witnesses to go and 
preach the gospel to every creature, assuring them that 



168 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

" he who believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 
xvi, 16. Hence, when Peter announced this form of doc- 
trine to the heart-smitten multitude, who inquired of him 
what they must do to be justified, he said, " Repent and 
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of 
the Holy Ghost." Acts ii, 38. This too, accounts for the 
language of Ananias to Saul, who was anxiously seeking 
this justification : " Why tarriest thou ? " said he ; " arise 
and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the 
name of the Lord." Acts xxii, 16* 

To the same effect speaks this same Saul, afterward 
called Paul, when he says, " According to his mercy, he 
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of 
the Holy Ghost." Tit. iii, 5. That the washing of regen- 
eration here spoken of, is baptism, we have the testimony 
of Dr. A. Clarke, and James McKnight, D. D., the former 
a distinguished commentator of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church — the latter, an unsurpassed translator and com- 
mentary writer of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Clarke 
says, on this washing : " Undoubtedly, the apostle here 
means baptism, the rite by which persons were admitted 
into the church, and the visible sign of the cleansing, puri- 
fying influences of the Holy Spirit, which the apostle 
immediately subjoins. Baptism is only a sign, and there- 
fore should never be separated from the thing signified — 
but it is a rite commanded by God himself, and therefore, 
the thing signified should never be expected without it." 
That is, if we understand the doctor correctly, the cleans- 
ing influence of the Holy Spirit should never be expected, 
without baptism. 

McKnight says: " Through the bath of regeneration — 
through baptism, called the bath of regeneration, not be- 
cause any change in the nature of the baptized person, is 



JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 169 

produced by baptism — but because it is an emblem of the 
purification of the soul from sin." Thus does this great 
scholar and critic teach that this washing, which he renders 
bath — this rendering being more in accordance with the 
original — is baptism. It is strange, however, that he, with 
so many others, should call baptism "an emblem of the 
purification of the soul from sin," and a " sign of the puri- 
fying influence of the Holy Spirit," when nothing of this 
kind is found in the whole New Testament. 

Baptism is never called a sign of regeneration, nor an 
emblem of the Spirit's influence, by any apostle of Christ 
whose writings have come down to us. But those who 
thus teach, must account to the great head of the church 
for it. 

Now, of the things which we have written, this is the 
sum : — God has loved the world, and sent his Son to die 
for sinners ; Christ has manifested that love by all he did 
and suffered for us ; faith in God's love thus manifested, 
slays the enmity of the heart, so that by faith the sinner 
dies to the love and practice of sin — his faith in God's 
promises, influences him to reform and be baptized, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins — and when 
he thus obeys from the heart this form of doctrine, he is 
made free from sin, and becomes a servant of righteous- 
ness. 

In conclusion, let me say to all who have thus been jus- 
tified by faith, be faithful in the discharge of all the holy 
obligations of Christianity, that you may finally enter into 
that rest that remains for the people of God. May the 
great Lord of all enable us all so to live, that we may 
enjoy his favor in life, his loving kindness in death, and 
his holy presence in eternity. Amen. 
15 



SERMON VII. 

SANCTIFICATION, 

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification. 

Thess. It 3. 

I have selected the above text, for the purpose of intro- 
ducing the subject of sanctification as the theme of this 
discourse. I need not inform the reader that this is a sub- 
ject of vast importance to all who desire to enjoy the appro- 
bation of the heavenly Father. Every student of the Bible 
knows that without sanctification, no person shall ever enjoy 
the favor of God, either in time or eternity. 

Different views, however, have been taken of this sub- 
ject. Some have been understood to teach that by sancti- 
fication is meant a state of entire holiness — a state in which 
the subject of it has got out of the reach of temptation — - 
having become so pure that no evil desires could arise in 
the mind, or if they did, the purity of the heart was such 
that they had no influence ; the sanctified having, as it used 
to be expressed, got out of gun-shot of the devil. 

Others, as if alarmed at this idea, have been understood 
to deny the doctrine of sanctification altogether. Some 
have gone so far in this direction as to say that they com- 
mit sin every day, and hour, and minute — in word, thought 
and deed. Now, it seems to me that Satan himself could 
not do worse than that. 

I suppose, in this case, as in all other cases, the truth 

(170) 



SANCTIFICATION. 17 1 

lies between these extremes. That the doctrine of sancti- 
fication is a Bible doctrine, is certain. Both Testaments 
abound with testimony in its favor. Our text is to the 
point, for it declares that it is God's will that his people be 
sanctified. 

Now, we desire, in this discourse, to give this subject a 
careful and scriptural investigation, that we may know the 
truth, as it is in Jesus — in doing which I propose to exam- 
ine the subject in the following order : 

I. Endeavor to ascertain what is meant by sanctification, 
according to the Bible. 

II. Notice the means of sanctification. 

III. Notice the necessity of sanctification. 

I. According to this order, then, we inquire, first of all, 
What does this word sanctification mean ? 

The English word sanctification is defined to mean " the 
act of making holy ; 2, the act of consecrating, or of setting 
apart for a sacred purpose ; consecration.'' — Webster. The 
Greek word which is here rendered sanctification is hagias- 
mos, which occurs ten times in the New Testament, and is 
translated in the king's version of the Holy Scriptures, 
holiness, five times, and sanctification five times. Green- 
field defines this term thus : " sanctification, sanctity." 
He also defines hagazo, from which hagiasmos is derived, to 
mean, "to separate, consecrate, cleanse, purify, sanctify ; 
regard, or reverence as holy." 

From all, then, that we can gather from Greek and Eng- 
lish lexicographers, to sanctify means, 

1. To set apart, separate, or appoint to a holy, sacred or 
religious use. 

2. To cleanse, purify, or make holy. 

We shall then consider the subject in this discourse under 
these two ideas, or in the light of these two definitions. 
1. The term sanctification is used in the first signification 



172 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

in the following scripture : "And God blessed the seventh 
day and sanctified it." Gen. ii, 3. Now, all that could be 
meant by this term, as employed in this passage, is, that 
the seventh day was set apart to a holy or religious use. 
The sun rose and set on this day, as on all other days ; 
clouds gathered, winds blew, and storms roared on this day, 
the same after it was sanctified as before; no physical dif- 
ference could be seen between this day and all other days. 
And yet it is called a holy day, a sanctified day. The mean- 
ing is, that God separated this day, in a certain sense, from 
all other days, and consecrated it to a holy and pious use. 

The term is also used in this sense in Ex. xiii, 1, 2 : "And 
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all 
the first born, among the children of Israel, both of man 
and of beast ; it is mine." Here sanctification can only 
mean to set apart to a religious use. The first born of 
Israel, according to this law, were to serve as priests, to teach 
the people in sacred things, to offer their sacrifices, and 
make atonement for their sins, until God accepted the tribe 
of Levi in the stead of the first born. See Numbers iii, 
6-12. 

When Moses had built the altar of burnt offerings, the 
Lord commanded him to "sanctify it." Ex. xxix, 37. In- 
deed, all the furniture of the House of God was sanctified. 
The robes of the priests, the cups, bowls, tables, and even 
the snuffers and tongs, all, all were sanctified, according to 
the law of Moses. But in all these examples, sanctification 
means to set apart to a religious use. No difference was 
made in the appearance of the altar by its sanctification. 
It was still a rough heap of unhewn stones. So of all the 
vessels of the sanctuary, the sacerdotal robes, etc., etc. — 
they remained physically the same, though religiously they 
were regarded as holy, or sanctified, because set apart to 
religious purposes. 



SANCTIFICATION. 173 

According to this law, a man might sanctify his field, or 
any part thereof ; and when sanctified, all it produced was 
to be the Lord's, and went to sustain the Lord's cause and 
worship. Aud if he afterwards desired to redeem it, or 
release it from the obligations of this sanctification, the 
law said, " He shall add a fifth part of the money of thy 
estimation, and it shall be assured unto him. 7 ' Lev. xxvii, 16. 
That is, if a man, who had sanctified any portion of his field, 
desired to release it from that devoted state, he was to add 
to it the fifth of the estimate which the priests had put 
upon it ; and that estimate was made according to the produce 
thereof. Say, the field produced fifty bushels of barley, 
and that was worth fifty dollars, then he must add one-fifth, 
which would be ten dollars, making sixty in all, that he 
would have to pay. This went into the Lord's treasure, and 
the field returned to the former owner. But, I have only 
referred to this as another example of the first use of the 
word sanctification. 

The term is sometimes used in this sense in the New 
Testament. I presume it has this signification in 2 Cor. 
vi, 11. In this connection, the apostle names a great num- 
ber of crimes, saying, that those who do such things shall 
not inherit the kingdom of God ;" " and," said he, " such 
were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified," 
etc. Here Paul doubtless means that, though some of the 
members of this church had once been guilty of these dark 
crimes, they were now separated, and set apart to a religious 
use, to a holy purpose, even to " glorify God in their bodies 
and spirits which are his." This would be a strong induce- 
ment to influence them to avoid these evil deeds of which 
they had formerly been guilty, and to prompt them to 
practice holiness in the fear of God. 

The term sanctified seems to be used in 1 Cor. vii, 14, 
as simply meaning to set apart to a certain use for which 



174 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

it is suited. Paul says: "For the infidel husband is sanc- 
tified to the wife, and the infidel wife is santified to the 
believing husband ; otherwise, certainly, your children were 
unclean ; whereas, indeed, they are holy." [McKnight's 
translation.] Upon this text, Dr. McKnight makes the 
following just remarks : " I therefore, with Eisner, think that 
the words (sanctified and unclean) in this verse have neither 
a federal nor moral meaning, but are used in the idiom of 
the Hebrews, who by sanctified understood what was fitted 
for a particular use ; and by unclean, what was unfit for 
use, and thereforefore to be cast away." 
" The terms in the verse, thus understood, afford a rational 
meaning, namely : that when infidels are married to Chris- 
tians, if they have a strong affection for their Christian 
spouses, they are thereby sanctified to them — they are fitted 
to continue married to them, because their affection to the 
Christian party will insure to that party the faithful per- 
formance of every duty ; and that if the marriages of 
Christians and infidels were to be dissolved, they would cast 
away their children as unclean — that is, losing their affec- 
tion for them, they would expose them after the barbarous 
customs of the Greeks, or at least neglect their education ; 
but that by continuing their marriage they are holy — they 
are preserved as sacred pledges of their mutual love, and 
educated with care." 

This explanation not only shows that the word sanctifi- 
cation here simply means set apart to a suitable purpose, 
but it also throws some light upon a passage of scripture 
which has been regarded as difficult to be understood. 

2. But the term sanctification is used in its second or 
higher sense in the following scriptures : The Lord, speak- 
ing by his prophet, in reference to the restoration of the 
children of Israel to the land of their fathers, says, " My 
tabernacle also shall be with them ; yea, I will be their 



SANCTIFICATION. 175 

God, and they shall be iny people ; and the heathen shall 
know that L the Lord, do sanctify Israel, when my sanc- 
tuary shall be in the midst of them forever." Ez. xxxvii, 
27, 28. 

The salification here named is more than merely setting 
apart to a religious use ; it means to make pure, clean or 
holy. Its effects were to be so visible that even the heath- 
en should see it, and be constrained to acknowledge that it 
was the work of God. 

Paul uses the term in this higher sense in 2 Tim. ii, 21 : 
" If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall 
be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's 
use, and prepared unto every good work." In this sense, 
it is equivalent to holiness — indeed it is the same word 
which, in many places, is translated holiness, in the common 
version of the scriptures. Paul says : "As ye have yielded 
your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity 
unto iniquity ; even so now yield your members servants to 
righteousness unto holiness ; w — Jiagiasmos, sanctification. 
" Follow peace with all men, arid holiness (liagiasmos), with- 
out which no man shall see the Lord/' Heb. xii, 14. 

It is hard to explain this state of mind and heart in 
words. That the term sanctify means to cleanse, to purify, 
to make holy, is easy to say — but to fully comprehend all 
that is meant by these explaining words, may not be quite 
so easy. Still, we may be able to understand the effects 
of sanctification ; and perhaps this is the better way to 
treat the subject, so as to enable us to learn the state of 
our own heart. This, Christian reader, should be the grand 
object of all our investigations on religious subjects. It- 
should be to learn God's will, and the state of our own 
hearts and lives in reference to that will. The following 
items, then, may be taken as evidence of sanctification, in 
the sense of purity or holiness : 



176 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

1. Reverence for sacred things. The sanctified heart 
feels a reverence for the law of God — for the ordinance of 
the Lord — for the house and worship of God. He whose 
heart is thus purified does not pronounce the name of God 
in a light and trivial manner — he does not use the name 
of the Lord as a common by-word ; he feels deep reverence 
for the Holy One of Israel, and pronounces his name with 
awe. When he comes into the house of worship, he does 
not come in with a light, careless air, as if he were going 
into a theater or ball-room ; but he comes with feelings of 
reverence for those devotional exercises which are being 
performed in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

When I see a member of the church come into the house 
of worship with a vain air, and a giddy smile, take his 
seat, and commence gazing around to see who is there, per- 
haps making significant winks and gestures, I always think 
there is some corner of that man's heart that is not sancti- 
fied. The person, whether male or female, old or young, 
who feels the purifying influence of God's grace, is not 
likely to act in this careless, thoughtless manner m the 
house where con ere national devotions are offered ud to the 
great God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2. Earnest desire for the glory of God, the peace and 
prosperity of the church, and for the salvation of the world, 
may be regarded as another evidence of sanctification, in 
its Bible sense. This man's feelings and desires are iden- 
tified with the church ; he loves to meet with the people 
of God; he mourns when the cause of Christ languishes, 
and he rejoices when it prospers. He feels an anxious 
desire to be more and still more like the Saviour ; he de- 
sires to have the mind that was in Christ — that humble, 
gentle, long-suffering disposition, which characterized the 
blessed Saviour. 

3. Patience may be considered as another evidence of 



SANCTIFICATION. 177 

purity of heart. That man who is impatient, peevish, dis- 
contented — always complaining of the weather, the seasons, 
the people, etc., etc. — betrays an unholy state of mind. 
The man whose heart is right with God endeavors to resign 
himself to all the dispensations of Divine Providence. He 
" provides against the worst, and hopes for the best." 

4. Hatred for sin is another mark of the sanctified heart. 
This man " rejoices not in iniquity, but in the truth." He 
hates sin, because it is sin — because it is displeasing to God, 
and ruinous to man. If he should, in an unguarded 
moment, do that which is wrong, he hates the act, is sorry 
for it, and resolves to do so no more. He delights in no 
act, no pursuit, no amusement, no exercise, that he has 
reason to believe is displeasing to the Heavenly Father ; 
but he feels disposed to endeavor to shun the very appear- 
ance of evil. 

5. Delight in the laio of God is also a strong evidence of 
sanctification. The man who is sanctified, according to the 
second meaning which we have put upon that word, takes 
great delight in reading or hearing the word of the Lord. 
He loves the Lord supremely, and the people of God de- 
voutly. Hence, he has great delight in keeping the com- 
mandments of the Lord, and in meeting with the Lord's 
people in the Lord's house, especially on the Lord's day. 
Here he repairs for real enjoyment. He can truly say, " I 
had rather be a door-keeper in the house of God, than to 
dwell in the tents of wickedness." And when assembled 
with the Lord's people, he hears the name of God revered, 
his word read, and the singing of the songs of Zion ; and 
he sits around the table of the Lord, and commemorates 
the dying love of Christ in the emblematic loaf and cup ; 
he feels like saying : 



178 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

" My willing soul would stay 
In such a frame as this, 
And sit, and sing herself away, 
To everlasting bliss." 

6. Devotion to the cause of Christ may be regarded as 
another evidence of a pure or sanctified heart. The man 
whose heart has been brought under the purifying influ- 
ence of the gospel of Christ, feels willing to labor and 
sacrifice for that holy cause which cost Messiah's life. He 
is willing to do all he can for the prosperity of the church, 
the glory of God, and the salvation of sinners. If he 
is capable of doing good in proclaiming the glad tidings, he 
is ready and willing to bear his part in that blessed work. 
Or, if money is necessary to sustain the cause, to meet the 
contingent expenses of the congregation, or to sustain the 
preaching of the gospel, he is ever ready to contribute, 
according to his ability, to so good a cause. And what he 
does for this holy cause, he does willingly, knowing that 
" God loves a cheerful giver." 

Now, Christian reader, where these feelings, desires, 
emotions and actions abound in the heart and life of any 
person, that person is regarded, in the light of the Bible, 
as sanctified. 

II. But, according to the order proposed, we will now 
proceed to notice some of the means of sanctification. 
Sanctification, in its first signification — that is, in the sense 
of setting apart — has almost always .been performed by 
some religious rite or ceremony. The ceremony by which 
Aaron and his sons were sanctified, was quite lengthy. 
They were to be sprinkled with blood, washed in water, 
and anointed with holy or sanctified oil. A full account 
of the whole ceremony, the reader will find in the twenty- 
ninth chapter of Exodus. The ceremony, too, by which 



SANCTIFICATION. 1 79 

the altar was sanctified, had many items. Seven days 
were occupied in its performance. The law reads thus : 
"And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for sin offering, 
for atonement ; and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou 
hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it to 
sanctify it." Ex. xxix, 36. " And thou shalt anoint the 
altar of the burnt-offerings, and all his vessels, and sanc- 
tify the altar ; and it shall be an altar most holy." Ex. xl, 
10. Thus were persons, altars, vestments, and vessels 
sanctified by some legal ceremony under the Old Testa- 
ment. 

Persons, only, are sanctified under the New Testament, 
and this is done by a rite, or religious ordinance. Hence, 
the apostle said to the Corinthians : " Ye are washed, ye 
are sanctified, ye are justified, in the name of our Lord 
Jesus, and by the spirit of our God." 1 Cor. vi, 11. As 
already stated, sanctification is used here in the sense of 
setting apart to a religious use, and the rite by which these 
persons were thus sanctified, is called a washing. The 
same ordinance of consecration is named by Paul, in Ephe- 
sians v, 26: " Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also 
loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might 
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the 
word. The same washing is referred to again, in Hebrews 
x, 22 : " Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assur- 
ance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil 
conscience, and our bodies ivashed with pure water." 

By saying pure water, the apostle shows that this wash- 
ing is not a Jewish rite, or a sanctification performed accord- 
ing to the law of Moses. The water of purification, under 
that law, was itself sanctified by a legal process, a part of 
which was the sprinkling of the ashes of a red heifer in 
the water. But in this New Testament sanctification, there 
are to be no such mixtures. Pure water — that is, just 



180 THE FAMILY COMPANION 

simply water — is to be used. It is worthy of remark, also, 
that this washing has to do with the body. The heart is, 
figuratively, sprinkled with the blood of Christ. This is 
done by faith in that blood ; but over and above this sprink- 
ling of the heart, Paul says, the body was washed, and 
that, too, with water. Notice, he does not say a part of 
the body, or one member of the body — the foot, the hand, 
or the head — but he says, the body. On another occa- 
sion, speaking on another subject, the same apostle says: 
" As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the 
members of that one body, being many, are one body ; so 
also is Christ." 1 Cor. xii, 12. Thus, according to Paul's 
reasoning, it takes all the members to make the one body ; 
hence, when he says, " having the body washed with pure 
water," he teaches that the whole body, the entire person, 
was brought under the influence of this washing, by which 
they were sanctified, consecrated, and set apart to the ser- 
vice of the living God. The same washing is called the 
washing of regeneration, in Titus iii, 5. 

But the question now arises, What is meant by this 
washing? Heb. x, 23. Dr. McKnight paraphrases thus: 
"And being washed in body with the clean water of baptism, 
whereby we professed our faith in Christ as our only High 
Priest, let us hold fast the confession of our hope of salva- 
tion through his ministration," etc. Then, according to 
this learned and pious doctor of divinity, of the Presbyte- 
rian faith, the washing here referred to, is Christian bap- 
tism. 

On Ephesians v, 26, he also says, " that he might sane- 
tify her (the church), and fit her for becoming his spouse ; 
having cleansed her, emblematically, by baptism, as brides 
are wont to be cleansed, with a bath of water and with the 
word, from your superstitions of Judaism and heathen- 
ism." On 1 Corinthians vi, 11, he says, "You are washed 



SANCTIFICATIOX. 181 

with the water of baptism, in token of your having vowed 
to lead a new life." Thus, the reader will see that, 
according to Dr. McKnight, all these scriptures refer to 
baptism. 

Let us hear one more doctor of divinity on the subject. 
Dr. A. Clarke, on 1 Corinthians vi, 11, has the following 
note: "Ye are washed; ye have been baptized into the 
Christian faith ; and ye have promised, in this baptism, to 
put off all filthiness of the flesh and spirit ; and the wash- 
ing of your bodies is emblematical of the purification of 
your souls." On Ephesians v, 26, Dr. Clarke says: "With 
the washing of water, baptism, accompanied with the puri- 
fying influence of the Holy Spirit." On Titus iii, 5, 
he also says: " Undoubtedly, the apostle here means 
baptism, the rite by which persons were admitted into the 
church," etc. 

Now I fully agree with these doctors, that the washing 
referred to in these scriptures, is baptism. All persons 
who are thus washed, or baptized, upon a profession of their 
faith in Christ, are regarded, in the light of the New Tes- 
tament, as sanctified, according to the first meaning which 
we have given to the word sauctification. John Wesley 
attempts to change the order of the items, as they stand in 
1 Corinthians v, 11, so as to make justification come before 
sanctification, according to his favorite theory upon that 
subject. But he need not to have done this, had he con- 
sidered that the term sanctified is here used in the 
sense of setting apart to a religious use. In this sense, 
persons are always sanctified before they are justified, 
according to apostolic practice and teaching. That is to 
say, they are baptized, in order to justification ; or they 
are set apart to the service of God, in baptism, for the re- 
mission of sins. 

Then, let all who have been baptized according to the 



182 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

gospel of Jesus Christ, remember that they are devoted ; 
that they have been solemnly consecrated, sanctified, or 
set apart, to a pious, religious use ; even to the service of 
the holy and pure God. 0, then, what manner of persons 
ought those to be, who have been thus given up to God? 
Beacler, have you been thus devoted to the Lord? Then, 
never forget the solemnities of that scene, nor the obliga- 
gations that rest upon you in consideration thereof. 

But let us proceed to consider the means of sanctification 
in its second sense ; the sense of being pure, or holy. 

And I here affirm, that, to sanctify, in this sense, is the 
work of God ; none but God can purify the heart, can cleanse 
the soul from all its impurities, and thus render the heart 
a fit temple for the Holy spirit jx> dwell in. Then, Christian 
reader, if you have been consecrated to God in baptism, and 
desire to be more pure, more holy, more like the blessed 
Saviour, go to God, for He alone can perform this great 
work. 

But now the question is stated, how does God do it? 
Does He sanctify with means, or without means ? And is 
the work instantaneous, or progressive ? Is it performed 
in a moment, or does it require time for its completion ? 

I was taught in early life, to believe that sanctification 
was as much above justification, as justification is above a 
state of nature ; and that, although persons might be 
justified, or pardoned of all past sins, yet they were not 
prepared to meet God in peace, until they reached this 
higher state, which my teachers called sanctification. And 
they taught me moreover, that this was an instantaneous 
work — that it was performed in the twinkling of an eye ; 
and that when persons became subjects of it, they would be 
as sensible of the fact, as they could be of any sensible act 
that might be performed upon the body. 

Under the influence of this svstera, I have seen members 






SANCTIFICATION. 183 

of their church, yes, shouting members, come to the anxious 
seat, at the invitation of the preacher, seeking for sanctifica- 
tion. I have known them to remain there for a great 
length of time, apparently in great distress of mind, and 
deep agony of soul, praying and beseeching the Lord to 
come right then and sanctify them ! But, though I have 
seen many persons who professed sanctification in this 
sense, I never saw any one obtain it. But, notwithstanding 
the same doctrine is still to be found in the standard works 
of that church from which I received my early religious 
instructions, I have not witnessed a scene like the one just 
described, for many years. I think they are learning the 
way of the Lord on this subject, more perfectly. 

Now, I must say, with due deference to the feelings and 
practices of good men, that in the theory and practice above 
alluded to, there is more of superstition and fanaticism 
than of scriptural piety and godliness. I can see nothing 
in all the book of God to sanction any such theory or 
practice. God has always employed visible means for the 
sanctification of man as well as for his conversion ; some of 
which, I now proceed to name. 

1. The ivord of God. Jesus prayed to his heavenly 
Father, in behalf of his disciples, saying : " sanctify them 
through thy truth: thy word is truth" Thus, the Lord 
prayed for the sanctification of his disciples, and he prayed 
the Father to do the w r ork ; but he did not ask him to come 
right down from heaven, and by some miraculous power, 
sanctify them in a moment ; but he prayed the Father to 
perform this blessed work by means ; through the word of 
truth. The apostle Peter doubtless refers to the same 
divine arrangement when he says, " Whereby are given 
unto us, exceeding great and precious promises ; that by 
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature," 2 Pet. i, 4. 
Now, to be made a partaker of the divine nature, is to be 



184 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

sanctified ; those who partake of all that is meant in this 
scripture, by the divine nature, are as fully sanctified as 
human nature can be. And the apostle here teaches that 
the divine nature is to be obtained through the exceeding 
great and precious promises which the divine power hath 
given in the gospel of God's grace to fallen humanity. 

Paul to the Corinthians, teaches the same doctrine. He 
says : " We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass, the 
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from 
glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. iii, 18. 

Here, the apostle represents the gospel as a mirror, in 
which is portrayed the most beautiful and lovely moral 
image that was ever gazed upon by men or angels ; the 
lovely image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now, by look- 
ing at that image steadfastly, by faith, the believer catches 
the divine likeness, and is thus changed into the same 
image, until, in his moral character, he resembles the 
blessed Saviour. Truly this is to be sanctified. This is to 
have the mind of Christ* But this mind or likeness is to be 
obtained, by " beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord." 

This is a kind of spiritual daguerreotypi ng. Now, in 
this art, several things are necessary in order to get a good 
likeness. The person must be placed at a proper distance 
from the instrument. Then he must have the proper 
position, and there must be the proper amount of light, and 
he must remain there a proper length of time ; and I believe 
that sky-light is always said to be the best. 

Now let the plate upon which the likeness is taken, re- 
present the believer's heart ; let the instrument represent 
the moral image of Christ as revealed in the gospel. Then 
in order to get that image transcribed upon the heart, the 
believer must come near to the Lord, as he stands portrayed 
in the glass of the gospel. He must not keep at too great 
a distance, for in that way the likeness will never be well 



SANCTIFICATION. 185 

taken. Then lie must remain there the proper time ; he 
must look, or contemplate with intense desire upon the 
lovely image as it is presented in the gospel. A person 
never would get a good likeness, according to the natural 
science of which we now speak, if he should, while 
before the instrument, cast his eye upon it for a second, 
and then commence gazing upon other objects, turning his 
eye occasionally upon the instrument, just as he was search- 
ing for some new object. No, he must be still and look 
steadily, until the impression is fairly taken. 

So in this spiritual arrangement. A person will never 
catch the divine likeness so as to be changed into the same 
image, by looking at the Saviour only occasionally ; reading 
a chapter in the New Testament, perhaps once a week, or a 
month, and then not thinking about it any longer than he 
is reading it, but looking off upon the world, employing all 
his time and attention with the affairs of earth. In this 
way he will soon become an epistle of the w T orld, known and 
read of all men. 

And in Daguerreotyping, nothing must stand between 
the plate and the person whose likeness is being taken. 
So, in this divine arrangement. You must not let the 
almighty dollar get between you and the image of Christ, 
if you would obtain his likeness. As you run with patience 
the race set before you, you must LOOK to Jesus, and live 
under the light of the gospel ; let this sky-light, with all 
its divine influence, blaze upon your heart, meditating upon 
the character of Christ — upon his sufferings for us poor 
sinners, and you will catch his likeness, until you are 
" changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even 
as by the Spirit of the Lord." 

2. But I will name, as a second means of sanctification, 
the ordinances of the Lord's house. These have a'powerful 
influence in purifying the heart, and in keeping it pure. 
16 



186 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

And hence, the person who but seldom attends the house 
of worship, but is always busying himself about the affairs 
of this life, is not apt to be very devotional — not very 
heavenly-minded ; he does not exhibit many of the evi- 
dences of a pure and holy heart. But that person who is 
regular and constant in his attendance in the Lord's house, 
not only in body, but in mind, worshiping God in spirit and 
in truth, drinks into the mind of Christ, until he exhibits 
the evidences of sanctification which we have just pointed 
out. 

Among these ordinances are, singing, prayer, preaching 
the word, exhortation, and the Lord's Supper, which brings 
before the contemplating mind the sorrowful, suffering 
scenes through which the great Eedeemer passed to save 
our fallen race. These ordinances, properly attended to, 
are all designed and well calculated to sanctify our nature, 
and bring all the powers of the mind into captivity to the 
law of Christ. 

In a word, the whole work of evangelical or gospel sanc- 
tification is performed on the principle of assimilation. The 
mind of God and the mind of man, in this work, assimilate. 
The awful circumstance which ruined our world was, that 
the heart of man got out of beat It ceased to beat in har- 
mony with the will of God. And the whole gospel scheme 
is a great regulator, intended to correct the human heart, 
until it shall pulsate in harmony with the divine will. 

Now, in order to this, the mind of God and the mind of 
man must be brought in contact. That this may be done, 
God has revealed his mind in the Bible, and set it person- 
ally before our w r orld in the person and character of Jesus 
Christ. Now, our minds and thoughts are, through this 
means, to be brought into close connection with the mind 
of God, until all our impurities are purged away, and we 
become sanctified and meet for the Master's use. And all 



SANCTIFIC ATI0N. 1 87 

the ordinances I have named, or that are enjoined in the 
gospel, are only so many means designed to keep the 
mind of God and the image of Christ before our minds, 
that we may still enjoy the hallowed influence of God's 
grace. For it is not only necessary that we be purified, 
but it is important that we remain pure ; for "pure relig- 
ion, and undefiled before God and the Father/' not only 
requires that we should take care of widows and orphans, 
in their afflictions, but that we " keep ourselves unspotted 
by the world ;' ; hence, said Paul to Timothy, " keep thy- 
self pure." 

III. I will now offer a few reasons why we should all 
strive to obtain and retain the state of mind and heart 
which we have now described, and then close this discourse. 

1. It is the will of God; " for this is the will of God, even 
our sanctification." This should be reason enough to induce 
every child of man to use all the means of grace that God 
has ordained, in order to attain unto that state of mind 
that will be well pleasing in his sight. We may also know 
that this is for our well-being, for his whole will in refer- 
ence to man is for our good, for our happiness in time and 
in eternity. 

2. To prepare us for usefulness. The purer we are, the 
more useful we can be. And this is what we should all 
live for. No man should live for himself alone. Paul 
says that " Christ died for us, and rose again, that they 
who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but 
unto him who died for us and rose again." You will always 
notice that the most useful persons in the service of God, 
are the most pure in heart. Hence, the apostle says : " if 
a man, therefore, purge himself from these, he shall be a 
vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, 
and prepared unto every good work." 2 Tim. ii, 21. Then, 



188 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

by being thus sanctified, we are prepared to " serve God 
acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." 

3. To qualify us for the fellowship of saints, here and 
hereafter. 

There is much said in the religious world on the subject 
of Christian fellowship. Many ways and means are devised 
by man to obtain it, and many human laws and human 
devices are formed for the purpose of keeping it. But all 
these often prove to be mere ropes of sand. They break 
like the withes with which Sampson was bound. No human 
laws nor human means can hold in holy union those whose 
hearts are impure — whose affections are all defiled with 
sin. Poor, selfish human nature will rise above mere human 
authority. 

Evangelical sanctification is God's instrument or means 
of Christian fellowship. Hearts thus purified by the holy 
means to which we have referred under the foregoing head 
of this discourse, will harmonize; they will, " like kindred 
drops, mingle into one." Hence, I would advise, in all 
cases where a want of Christian fellowship exists, either 
in a church generally, or among individuals, that all con- 
cerned seek the Lord, in the ordinances of his house ; and 
that each one endeavor to get his own heart purified, and 
then fellowship can soon be obtained. 

4. That we may see God in peace. We name thi3 as the 
most important reason why we should labor to obtain that 
state of purity which the gospel requires. The apostle 
enjoins it upon the disciples of Christ, to "follow peace 
with all men, and holiness, without which/' he says, " no 
man shall see the Lord." But Jesus says : " Blessed are 
the pure in heart, for they shall see God." How careful, 
then, should we be to " purify ourselves from all filthiness 
of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 



SANCTIFICATION, 189 

5. That we may he prepared to enter into the City of 
God at last, and to enjoy the society of the pure and holy 
that dwell therein. The reader will find a very graphic 
description of this holy city in the twenty-first chapter of 
the " Eevelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him," 
at the conclusion of which he will find this solemn declara- 
tion : " And there shall in no wise enter into it anything 
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or 
maketh a lie ; but they who are written in the Lamb's book 
of life." 

May the Almighty Father have mercy on us all, and 
enable the writer, and the reader, to keep themselves un- 
spotted by the world, and prepare us all for that Holy City. 
Amen. 



SERMON VIII. 

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

The spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep thirgs of God. 

1 Cor. ii, 10. 

For the purpose of bringing this subject fairly before 
your minds, I will read a few scriptures, in addition to the 
text : 

" If you love me keep my commandments, and I will pray 
the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he 
may abide with you forever ; even the spirit of truth whom 
the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither 
knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, 
and shall be in you. ° ® ° These things have 
I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the 
comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father shall 
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and shall 
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you." — John xiv, 15, 16, 17 — 25, 26. 

Again : u It is expedient for you that I go away ; for if 
I go not away the comforter will not come unto you ; but if 
I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, 
he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and 
of judgment. Howbeit, when he, the spirit of truth, is 
come, he will guide you into all truth ; for he shall not speak 
of himself ; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak : 
and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me : 
U90; 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 191 

for he shall receive of mine and show it unto you." John 
xvi, 7-14. Before commencing our remarks, we wish to 
read one more scripture, found in 1 Tim. iii, 16: "And 
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness : God 
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of 
angels," etc. The point in this quotation to which we invite 
special attention is, that Christ was justified in, or by the 
spirit. 

Now from these scriptures you perceive, my friends, that 
a large field of work is laid out for the Holy Spirit. 

1. The Spirit was to justify Christ. 

2. It was to glorify Christ. 

3. It was to comfort the disciples. 

4. It was to receive the things that belonged to Christ, 
and show them to the disciples, or apostles. 

5. It was to bring all things to the remembrance of the 
disciples, whatsoever Christ had spoken to them. 

6. It was to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, 
and of judgment. 

We now ask, has the spirit accomplished all this work ? 
and if so, how did it do it ? And first of all we ask, how 
did the spirit justify Christ ? 

That we may fully understand this, we remark, that to 
justify does not always mean to pardon. It can not have this 
meaning in this passage. Christ was never guilty of any 
crime, and hence he could not be pardoned. But when it is 
said of a person who is not guilty of any crime, that he was 
justified, it implies that he was charged with a crime, but was 
justified in the thing which he has done. 

Suppose, for illustration, that three men are brought 
before the circuit court, under indictment for murder. In 
reference to the first, it is clear from all the testimony in the 
case, that he has not taken the life of any human being. In 
the case of the second, it is proven to the satisfaction of all 



192 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

that ne has killed a man, but that he did it in self-defense ; 
that this was the only way to save his own life. Bat sup- 
pose, in the case of the third, it is proven beyond doubt that 
he is guilty of murder in the first degree. He is therefore 
condemned, and the day of his execution is appointed. But 
now suppose that a petition is sent up to the governor, upon 
which a reprieve is granted. Now these three men are again 
returned to the bosom of society. One returns innocent, the 
second justified, and the third pardoned. 

Now apply this to our blessed Lord. He was charged 
with two crimes, and brought before the highest courts on 
earth to answer for them. When brought before the Jewish 
High Priest, he was charged with blasphemy, for saying he 
was the Son of God. And indeed this would have been 
blasphemy if he was not the Son of God. 

But though they had many false witnesses in attendance, 
they failed to establish his guilt, until, contrary to all usage, 
they call on him to testify in his own case. " Then the high 
priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the 
living God, thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son 
of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said :" which was, 
according to their custom, to answer in the affirmative. 
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath 
spoken blasphemy ; what further need have we of witnesses ? 
For this blasphemy, it was decided that he should be put to 
death. But then, the Jews no longer have the power to 
take life, and hence his cause must be taken before the Bo- 
man authorities. For the purpose of obtaining a verdict of 
death against him, he is now brought before Pilate's bar. 
But now a new charge must be brought up. It matters not 
to Pilate whether he said he was the Son of the Jews' God 
or not. Hence they now charge him with treason, in that 
he said he was the king of the Jews. This had a bearing 
on Csesar's authority, and hence this would gain him a 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 193 

hearing before Pilate's tribunal. u Pilate therefore said unto 
him, art thou a king ? Jesus answered, thou sayest I am a 
king. To this end was I born." John xviii, 37. Pilate, 
still fearing to condemn Jesus, sought to release him. But 
the Jews cried out, saying, if thou let this man go, thou art 
not Caesar's friend. This had the desired effect. Fearing 
that he should be turned out of office, he gave the sentence 
of death against the Lord Messiah. Thus was Christ con- 
demned, and put to death for blasphemy and high treason. 

Now in order to justify Christ, it must be proven that he 
was all that he professed to be. This no man could do. 
Hence the Holy Spirit undertakes his cause, and proposes to 
justify him, in all his pretensions, before an intelligent 
universe. 

In order to accomplish this glorious work, the Holy Spirit 
raised our Lord and Saviour from the dead ; hence Peter 
says, " He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by 
the spirit." 1 Pet. iii, 18. After his resurrection, he ap- 
peared to his disciples occasionally, for forty days, teaching 
them things concerning his kingdom. At his last personal 
interview with them, he commanded them to go into all the 
world and preach the Gospel to every creature, " but," said 
he, " tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued 
with power from on high." As if he had said, all power in 
heaven and earth is given unto me ; go therefore, and offer 
salvation to all men in my name ; but wait until I am justi- 
fied by the spirit. I have been condemned and crucified for 
blasphemy and high treason; my name stands upon the 
records of the highest ecclessiastical and civil courts upon 
the earth, as a malefactor ; and now should you offer salva- 
tion to a wicked world, in my name, no one will accept it. 
Even those who might desire to obtain the favor of God would 
reproach you with mocking their miseries, by offering them 

pardon in the name of him who had died for blasphemy on 
17 



194 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the Roman cross. But the Holy Spirit lias undertaken my 
cause ; he will yet justify me before an intelligent uni- 
verse ; and now I command you to tarry in Jerusalem until 
he shall have accomplished this work, and then you can, 
with all confidence, go and speak all the words of this life 
in my name. Tarry therefore, and utter not a word upon 
this subject until you are endued with the Spirit's power in 
evidence of my justification. 

"When he had spoken these things, while they beheld 
he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their 
sight." 

" Then returned they to Jerusalem from the Mount of 
Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. 
And when they were come in, they went up into an upper 
room, where abode both Peter and James," and all the 
apostles, with certain others. 

" And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they 
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there 
came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and 
filled all the house where they were sitting. And there 
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it 
sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the 
Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the 
spirit gave them utterance." Thus did the Holy Spirit 
commence the justification of Christ. A more favorable 
opportunity for defending the claims of the crucified Naza- 
rene before all men, could not have been obtained. At this 
time there were Jews, devout men dwelling at Jerusalem, 
out of every nation under heaven, so that the transactions 
of this day must soon have been known throughout the 
whole world. 

When an account of the mighty endowments of the Holy 
Spirit, bestowed upon the witnesses of the blessed Saviour, 
was noised abroad in the city, u the multitudes came together 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 195 

and were confounded, because that every man heard them 
speak in his own language. " " Others/' less serious, " mock- 
ing, said they were full of new wine. But Peter standing 
up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, 
ye men of Judea and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be 
this known unto you, and hearken unto my words ; for these 
are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third 
hour of the day." This would lead them to inquire more 
particularly into the cause which had produced these mar- 
velous effects. The attention of all being thus gained, the 
apostle proceeded : " This is that which was spoken by the 
prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, 
(saith God), I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh." 
This prophecy God hath now fulfilled in your presence, in 
defense of the claims of his only begotten Son. 

He then charged upon them the death of the innocent 
Jesus, saying that they with wicked hands had crucified 
and slain him. " But," he continues, " this Jesus has God 
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being 
by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of 
the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed 
forth this which ye now see and hear." As if he had said, 
these mighty gifts and miraculous powers are imparted to 
us by the spirit of the living God, in proof of the inno- 
cency of that holy person " whom ye slew and hanged on a 
tree." " Therefore let all the house of Israel know assur- 
edly, that God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have 
crucified, both Lord and Christ." Thus, " by signs and won- 
ders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit," was 
our blessed Lord justified in saying he was the Son of God 
and King of Zion. And thus did the Holy Spirit glorify 
our Bedeemer. For as soon as Christ was justified in all 
his pretensions, that moment was he glorified, or honored 
in heaven and on the earth. At the same time did tho 



196 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Spirit impart comfort to the disciples. They could now 
" stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." 

The Spirit now brought all things which Christ had told 
his apostles fresh to their memory, so that they were now 
enabled to teach these things to others infallibly. The 
Spirit also revealed things belonging to the reign of Mes- 
siah to the witnesses of Christ, which he had not told them 
in person. Hence Paul declares, that the Holy Spirit had 
revealed to the apostles and prophets things which had 
been kept secret from the beginning of the world. See 
Eph., 3d ch. 

But the Saviour promised that the Spirit should reprove 
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. All 
this was accomplished when Christ was justified. 

You will perceive, my friends, that the Lord did not say 
that the Spirit would reprove the w r orld of si?is in general, 
but of sin, having reference to one particular sin ; and he 
tells us plainly what that sin was. He says, "of sin, 
because they believe not on me." Just as soon as the 
Holy Spirit, by its miraculous power, had proved that Jesus 
was the Son of the living God, that moment did the sin of 
unbelief in Christ appear. Thus was the world reproved 
for not believing on Christ. 

The Spirit reproved, or convinced, the world of right- 
eousness, which the Saviour explains thus : " of righteous- 
ness, because I go to the Father and ye see me no more" 

When the Spirit proved that Christ had gone to the 
Father, and that he was crowned Lord of all, the right- 
eousness of all his motives, teachings and works, was made 
manifest, and those who had charged him with casting out 
demons by satanic influence, were reproved, when they saw 
the righteousness of Christ thus defended by superhuman 
power. 

But, according to the promise of Christ, the Spirit was 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 197 

to reprove the world of judgment. He did not say, of 
judgment to come, as it is sometimes quoted ; but "of judg- 
ment, because the prince of this world is judged" Now, if 
we can learn who is meant by the prince of this world, we 
shall the better understand the meaning of this judgment. 
This character is named under this title but twice in the 
New Testament. Christ said to his disciples : "Hereafter 
I will not talk much with you : for the prince of this world 
cometh and hath nothing in me." John xiv, 30. 

We think it quite certain, that by the prince of this 
world, here, the Saviour meant Pilate. It was Pilate who 
came and said, " I find no fault in him" But, as we have 
seen before, instigated by the multitude, he did give sen- 
tence of death against him. Now, the Spirit was to reprove 
all engaged in that transaction, and convince the world of 
the unrighteousness of Pilate's judgment. 

When an appeal is taken from the circuit court to the 
supreme court, the court above sits in judgment upon the 
decisions of the court below; and if a decision made by the 
court below, is reversed by the supreme court, it may with 
much propriety be said, the lower court is judged. 

Thus it occurred in the case of our blessed Lord. Judg- 
ment went against him before Pilate's bar; and now he 
takes his cause up to the high court of glory, assured that 
the Judge of all the earth will do right. The decision of 
Pilate was there reversed, and the Holy Spirit, as Christ's 
advocate, was sent down, with all its mighty power, and 
defended his righteous claims, by the miraculous power 
which attended the preaching of the Cross of Christ. Thus 
was the prince of this world, or those who judged Christ, 
judged. 

Having seen how the Holy Spirit reproved the world of 
sin, righteousness, and judgment in the apostle's time, we 



198 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

now inquire, Does not the Spirit convince the world of sin 
in our day ? 

I now affirm that it always has been, and now is, the work 
of the Holy Spirit to convince man of sin, and that no man 
ever was convinced that he was a sinner against God, but 
by the Spirit of God. In order to make this plain, it will 
be necessary to ascertain what it takes to convince a man 
that he has sinned against the Lord. 

The apostle says that " sin is the transgression of the 
law." This declaration rests on the fact that the law is an 
exposition of God's will. Any act which is contrary to the 
will of God is sin ; and any omission to perform a duty 
which God requires, is also a sin against him. 

These things being so, a person must know the will of 
the Lord, before he can be convinced that he has sinned 
against him. For example, a person must know that it is 
contrary to the will of God for him to swear profanely, 
before he can be convinced that he sins in doing so. The 
same is true in reference to all sins. 

Now, the will of God concerning our actions is a thing 
which belongs to him, and the apostle says : " The things 
of God knoiveth no man, but the Spirit of God;" and he 
declares that " the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep 
things of God" 1 Cor. ii, 10, 11. You will then perceive, 
my friends, that as the Spirit alone knoweth the things of 
God, the Spirit alone knoweth the will of God, and there- 
fore if man is ever taught what the will of God on any 
subject is, the Holy Spirit must teach him. To say that a 
person is convinced that he is a sinner against God, when 
he is wholly ignorant of God's will, is downright nonsense. 

Some talk of being under conviction, but this is unmean- 
ing A person may be undergoing an investigation which 
may result in his conviction ; and if it does, he would then 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 199 

be convicted — that is, condemned ; but it would be improper 
to say that he is under conviction. It would be more cor- 
rect to say that he is under condemnation. 

But I now proceed further, and affirm that it is also the 
work of the Spirit to convert sinners. By conversion, I 
here mean that great moral change of the heart which is 
contemplated in evangelical conversion. 

In order to man's conversion, he must not only be con- 
vinced that he is a sinner, but he must be shown the sin- 
fulness of sin, and its awful consequences in this world, and 
in the world to come. And, on the other hand, he must be 
taught the goodness of God, and the happy results of doing 
his will. It can not be supposed that the heart of any one 
will be so changed from the love of sin as to influence him 
to turn to God with full purpose of heart, unless he is 
brought to see the evils of transgression, and the blessed- 
ness of righteousness. But all these things belong to God. 
The punishment which the Lord of Hosts will inflict upon 
the wicked, and the rewards which he will bestow upon 
those who love and obey him, are all matters which belong 
to God, and as the spirit alone knoweth the things of God, 
the spirit must make them known to man in order to his 
conversion. 

We will now turn to the word of the Lord in order to 
learn the manner in which the Holy Spirit makes known 
the things of God to the children of men. So far as we 
have now advanced in this investigation, we suppose there 
is no controversy betw T een us and our religious neighbors ; 
but when we come to speak of the manner in which the 
spirit enlightens man on the great subject of salvation, 
some dissent from us, and therefore we shall be very par- 
ticular on this point, and endeavor to sustain all we say 
by the Scriptures, which are acknowledged by all to be 
infallible. 



200 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Matt, x, 19, 20: "But when they shall deliver you up, 
take no thought how or what you shall speak, for ifc shall 
he given you in that same hour what you shall speak, for 
it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father, that 
speaketh in yon." 

This declaration was made by the Lord to his disciples in 
view of the persecutions to which they would be exposed 
after his departure from them. They were eye and ear 
witnesses of Christ, and for their testimony in favor of him 
and his cause, they would subject themselves to the malice 
and rage of men, who would even bring them before their 
councils, and scourge them in their synagogues. But the 
Saviour admonishes them to give themselves no* uneasiness 
in reference to what they should answer those who should 
examine them, and assures them that the spirit of God 
would speak to tile people on those occasions. But how 
would it speak? " The spirit of your Father speaketh in 
you^ From all this, we learn that the spirit of God is a 
speaking spirit ; that it employs words for the purpose of 
communicating ideas, and that it uses man's organs of 
speech for this purpose. 

In further illustration of this principle, we read, Acts i, 
16: "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have 
been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, 
spake before concerning Judas, who was guide to them that 
took Jesus." 

The point in this quotation to which we invite special 
attention is, that when the Holy Spirit was about to make 
the matter herein named known to man, it used David's 
speaking organs, and thus spoke concerning Judas. Then, 
whenever we wish to learn what the Holy Spirit has said 
on that subject, we have only to read what David wrote ; 
for he committed to writing what the Holy Spirit said by 
him. 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 201 

In Acts xxviii, 25, we have a very similar expression, 
which reads thus : " And when they agreed not among 
themselves, they departed, after Paul had spoken one word, 
well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias, the prophet, unto our 
fathers, saying, Go unto this people and say, hearing, ye 
shall hear, and shall not understand," etc. 

Here, you perceive, my friends, that when the apostle 
quotes a scripture written by a prophet, he says that the 
Holy Spirit spake by the prophet. 

In the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we 
have an account of a man who had been up to Jerusalem 
to worship, and was returning ; and as he rode in his cha- 
riot he read the prophecy of Isaiah, but did not understand 
it. He was reading things which belonged to God, and as 
the spirit alone knoweth the things of God, it must make 
this matter known to man, or he will never understand it. 
The spirit now proposes to make the prophet's meaning 
known to this man ; and, we ask, how did he do it ? Did 
it reveal this matter to the eunuch in some secret, myste- 
rious way ? By some peculiar impression of mind ? That 
the spirit could have done this, no one doubts. We are not 
inquiring into the spirit's power. On this subject there is 
no controversy ; hence, we do not ask how could the spirit 
reveal this secret to the Ethiopian nobleman ? but hoiv did 
it do it? " Then the spirit said unto Philip, Go near and 
join thyself unto this chariot." ° ° ° ° ° " Then 
Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, 
and preached unto him Jesus." 

Thus you see, my dear friends, that when the Holy Spirit 
undertook to enlighten the mind of this man on the subject 
of Christianity, he sent a chosen vessel, who could speak 
to him face to face, in words which he could understand. 

We will now introduce a scripture on the subject of re- 
sisting the Holy Spirit. Much has been said on this subject, 



202 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and many fears have been entertained by some lest they 
had committed this crime. The scripture, however, which 
we are now about to read, sets this matter in a clear light, 
and shows when and how we may resist the spirit of God. 
Acts vii, 51 : " Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart 
and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers 
did, so do you. Which of the prophets have not your fathers 
persecuted, and they have slain them that showed before 
the coming of the Just One, of whom you have been the 
betrayers and murderers." 

Thus, it will be seen, that whenever the people of ancient 
times resisted or set at nought the councils and commands 
of God, spoken by the prophets of the Lord, they resisted 
the Holy Spirit, for it was the Holy Spirit that spoke by 
these prophets ; and the same was true in reference to the 
first witnesses of our adorable Saviour. The Comforter, 
which is the Spirit, brought all things to their remembrance 
which Christ had said unto them — and even showed other 
things to them, which belonged to him — and hence, to re- 
ject their words, was to reject and resist the Holy Spirit. 

What were those persons doing, when Stephen applied to 
them the words just quoted? They were rejecting the 
teaching of the holy prophets and apostles, as rehearsed in 
their hearing by Stephen, and were in the very act of 
taking up stones to kill him. Well might Stephen say, 
"As your fathers did, so do you;" and with great truth 
did he say, " Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" 

Let us then remember, that whenever we hear or read a 
command found in the writings of the divinely inspired 
witnesses of Christ, which is applicable to us, and refuse 
to obey it, we resist the Holy Spirit; that is, we resist 
what the Holy Spirit hath spoken. 

Once more. In the days of the apostles, there was a 
time when God intended to bring a great dearth over all 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 203 

the land. Of this no person had knowledge ; it was a 
thing that belonged to God; and " the things of God 
knoweth no man, but the spirit of God knows, for he 
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." But 
it was necessary that the church should have knowledge of 
this coming calamity, and therefore the spirit must make 
it known unto the people. We now ask, how did he do it? 
Did he in some secret, indescribable manner, impress their 
minds with the notion that some awful judgment was com- 
ing upon the world ? That he could have done this, we 
do not doubt ; but the question is, how did he do it f Hear 
the answer : " And in those days came prophets from Jeru- 
salem to Antioch. And there stood up one of theni named 
Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be 
great dearth throughout all the world." Acts xi, 27, 28. 

Thus you see, my friends, that when the Holy Spirit 
proposed to reveal this matter to the church, he chose 
Agabus as the organ through whom to speak to the 
people. 

Again, it is a matter of great importance to man, to 
know God's time and day of salvation. How many are 
anxiously waiting for the Lord's good time to save them ? 
Well, this too belongs to God, and the spirit must make it 
known to man, if he ever learns it. This it has done, but 
we ask, how did it do it ? The apostle answers, " The 
Holy Ghost saith, to-day if you will hear his voice, harden 
not your hearts." Heb. iii, 7. This exhortation is found 
in the ninety-fifth Psalm, and Paul quotes it as the saying 
of the Holy Ghost. Again: " Behold now is the accepted 
time, behold now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. vi, 2 
Here the Holy Spirit has told us through Paul, that now 
is God's time to save sinners. The spirit also admonishes 
all who hear his word spoken by his chosen vessels, not to 
harden their hearts. 



204 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

The next scripture we will introduce, showing how the 
Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to man, is found in 
1 Corinthians, second chapter. Beginning at the ninth 
verse, we read as follows : " Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things that God hath prepared for them that love him." 
The apostle makes this declaration for the purpose of show- 
ing that no man ever learned the things which God has 
prepared for those who love him, by his own wisdom ; and 
he does this in order to prove to his brethren at Corinth, 
that no man should glory in man ; that they should not 
glory in Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, inasmuch as they 
never learned the things of God by their own researches 
into the volume of nature. 

But it may now be asked, how did they obtain a know- 
ledge of these things ? The apostle answers : " God hath 
revealed them unto us by his spirit ; for the spirit search- 
eth all things, yea, the deep things of God." From these 
scriptures, some have concluded that man, in this state, can 
have no conception of the things which God hath reserved 
for his people in the world to come ; but whether this idea 
is true or false, this passage is not designed to prove it ; 
for the apostle shows that the very things wdiich had not 
been seen or heard by man, unilluminated by the spirit, 
God had revealed to his apostles by his spirit. Some apply 
this declaration to all Christians, and therefore conclude 
that God, by a direct revelation of the Holy Spirit, reveals 
these heavenly things to every convert, at the time of his 
conversion. But the impropriety of this view will appear 
at once, when we consider the apostle's design in this whole 
argument. The Corinthians were saying, " 1 am of Paul, 
and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas." To correct these im- 
proprieties, and to silence these contentions, Paul tells 
them that all they knew of the secret things of God, they 



THE WOKK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 205 

had received by inspiration of the Holy Spirit ; and hence 
he says to them, in his second letter, speaking on the same 
subject, " For God, who commanded the light to shine out 
of darkness, hath sinned in our hearts, to give the light 
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
Christ. But we (the apostles), have this treasure in earthen 
vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, 
and not of us." 2 Cor. iv, 6, 7. 

But we now inquire, how is the world to learn these 
things ? The apostle answers : "Now we have received, not 
the spirit of the world, hut the spirit ivhich is of God ; that 
we might know the things that are freely given us of God; 
WHICH things ALSO WE SPEAK, not in the words which marts 
wisdom teacheth, but which the holy ghost teacheth ; com- 
paring spiritual things with spiritual; or, according to 
Dr. McKnight, " explaining spiritual things in spiritual 
words." 

Thus you perceive, my friends, that when the Holy 
Spirit would make known to men the things which God 
hath prepared for all who love and obey him, he revealed 
them to the apostles of Christ, and furnished them with 
words well calculated to make them known to all who might 
hear them. And now, if we desire to learn these things, 
we need not be seeking a new revelation by the Holy Spirit ; 
such a revelation is not now necessary for this purpose. 
We have only to consult the writings of those by whom the 
spirit spoke, in order to learn all the heavenly Father in- 
tended us to know on these interesting items. 

We will introduce one more scripture upon this subject, 
found in the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. 
In this passage, thp apostle mentions a mystery, or secret, 
which had been long hid in God, who created all things by 
Jesus Christ — which secret was this : " That the Gentiles 
should be fellow-heirs (with the Jews), and of the same 



206 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." 
This secret purpose belonged to God, and no man knew it. 
No man could seek it out by the light of nature ; but the Spirit 
knew it, for "the spirit searcheth the deep things of God." 
That man might know the will of God on this subject, and 
thus be prepared to comply with that will, the Holy Spirit, 
who alone kuoweth the things of God, must reveal it. We 
now ask, how did the spirit reveal this mystery to men ? " By 
revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote* 
afore in few w r ords : w^hereby when ye read ye may under- 
stand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other 
ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now 
revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets, by the Spirit." 

Thus you see, my friends, that the spirit revealed this 
secret to the apostles and New Testament prophets of 
Christ, and through them made it known to others ; that 
they committed it to writing, that in all time coming, those 
who would read, might understand their knowledge in the 
secret things of God. 

Here, then, is a scriptural exposition of the w r ay and 
manner in which the spirit enlightens the world. It first 
revealed God's will concerning man to the holy apostles 
and prophets : and they have committed these revelations 
to record. These writings make up that book which is 
labeled the " Holy Bible ; " and now, if we want to learn 
God's w r ill concerning our conduct, we have only to read 
the scriptures given by inspiration of God, and " which are 
profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction 
in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto every good work." According 
to this view the apostle saith, " He that hath ears to hear, 
let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches." But 
how am I to hear the spirit's voice? Must I wait to hear 
the spirit speak from heaven ? It will not do to say that 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 207 

the spirit is to reveal the things here proposed to be made 
known, by some secret impression upon the mind, for " the 
spirit SAYETH these things to the churches." And what does 
the spirit say ? We answer, M He that overcometh shall 
not be hurt of the second death." " To him that over- 
cometh will I give to eat of the tree of life." " He that 
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, 
and 1 will confess his name before my Father, and before 
his angels." But how does the spirit say these things to 
the churches ? I answer, through the word which was 
written by inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. 

The practice of the religious world is strong evidence in 
favor of the position we have taken on this subject. Let me 
ask, what mean all the efforts of the Missionary Society — 
the Bible Society — and in fact, all the efforts made to sus- 
tain the preaching of the word ? It all goes to prove that 
the Holy Spirit now speaks through the word, and that, in 
order to enlighten the world, man must have the Bible. 
If this is not so, we had as well save our talents and 
money, and appropriate them to some other purpose, and 
let the spirit enlighten the world by some direct inspira- 
tion, without any visible means. But as the spirit has 
given the Bible to enlighten mankind, and has commanded 
the church to hold it forth, and to preach it to every crea- 
ture, we should spare no pains to give the Bible to the whole 
world ; we should be ever willing to contribute of our means 
for the purpose of placing the holy scriptures in the reach 
of all, that every nation may have the privilege of reading 
the word of the Lord in their own language, that they maybe 
convinced that they are sinners, see the goodness of the Lord, 
and be brought to that obedience which secures salvation. 

According to all the scriptures that we have now adduced, 
how improper it is for a man who has had the Bible in his 
house all his life, to say, that when he was some thirty or 



208 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

forty years old, the spirit for the first time showed him that 
he was a sinner ! How could he blaspheme the name of 
the Lord, and not know that he was sinning against the 
Most High, when the Bible said that God will not hold him 
guiltless who taketh his name in vain ? Such a thing can 
not be. Ask them who say that the spirit, in some secret 
and mysterious way showed them that they were sinners, 
what particular act they had done without knowing it was 
sinful until the spirit revealed it, and can they name one ? 
No, not one. Should they attempt it, you will find that 
every act w r hich they name, that is in fact sinful, is forbid- 
den in the word of God. This being so, a new revelation 
is not to be expected ; nay, it is not even necessary. 

Let those, then, who wish to know their true state and 
standing before the Lord, read the holy scriptures, and 
compare their purposes and actions with their divine re- 
quirements, and if they find that they are sinners against 
God, let them comply with the requirements of the Holy 
Spirit, as they are found in the will of God, which the 
spirit has made known in the Bible, that they may be par- 
doned. 

We will now proceed with this investigation a little farther, 
and inquire, do not Christians enjoy the indwelling of the 
Holy Spirit in their hearts ? We have so far been consider- 
ing the work of the Spirit on the world, in enlightening man, 
and teaching him his duty to God, together with the things 
which the Lord has prepared for those who love and obey 
him. But we w T ish to come a little nearer the Christian's heart. 

I now affirm that God does give his Holy Spirit to his 
people ; that it does dwell in their hearts. And by this 
Spirit, I mean more than a mere disposition, or abstract 
quality ; I mean the Spirit of the living God. If you 
should ask me, my friends, what that Spirit is, I have only 
one answer, and that is, it is the Spirit of God. 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 209 

I will now proceed to read a few scriptures in proof of the 
position I have here taken : 

Eph. ii, 22, " In whom ye are builded together for an 
habitation of God through the Spirit." This scripture shows 
that it was the design of the Heavenly Father, in forming 
the church, to dwell in it by his Spirit ; that it was to be the 
residence of the Holy Spirit. Again : in the fourth chapter 
and fourth verse of this same epistle, we have the following 
reading: " There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are 
called in one hope of your calling." Here the apostle repre- 
sents the church as a body, and the Holy Spirit as the prin- 
ciple of life in this body. As the body without the Spirit is 
dead naturally, so the church without the Holy Spirit is dead 
also. When God created man of the dust of the earth, he 
was complete in all his physical organization, but he had no 
life ; he was cold and inactive ; he could not perform the 
functions of a living body. But God breathed in him the 
breath of life, (or of lives), and he became a living soul, or 
he became alive. Now he could think, and feel, and move, 
and act. Just so in regard to the church spiritually. The 
church is a spiritual body, formed for the purpose of per- 
forming a spiritual work ; but without the Spirit of God to 
animate this body, it is but a dead body, a lifeless corpse. 
The Lord designed however, that the church should be a 
living body, and hence, as soon as it was fully organized, he 
breathed into it his Holy Spirit ; it came as the sound of a 
rushing mighty wind ; the members were all filled with it, 
and thus enabled to perform the functions of a living body. 
And, notwithstanding the miraculous gifts, which were signs, 
not for them that believe, but for them that believe not, have 
ceased ; yet it is still necessary that the church should be 
filled with the life-giving Spirit of our God, to enable her to 
perform the holy obligations resting upon her. Christians 
must "be strengthened with might by the Spirit in the 
18 



210 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

inner man," that the)' may be able " to serve God accepta- 
bly, with reverence and with Godly fear." 

The next scripture we shall read on this subject is found 
in 1 Cor. vi, 19, and reads thus : "Know ye not that your 
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which 
you have of God?" This apostolic declaration proves 
beyond a doubt, that the Spirit of God does dwell in his 
people. 

Again : In Gal. iv, G, Paul says, " Because you are sons, 
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts, 
crying Abba Father." I understand this to be equally true 
in reference to all the sons and daughters of the Almighty ; 
for the reason given why God had sent the Spirit into their 
hearts, applies to all the children of the Lord. Why did 
God give them the Spirit of his son? Not because they 
were apostles — not because they were set apart for any par- 
ticular work by the imposition of hands — not to make them 
sons ; but, because they ivere sons. All the children of the 
Lord then have an equal right to expect the Spirit of Christ, 
because thev are all sons and daughters of the Lord. 

The next and last scripture that we shall read upon this 
subject, is found in the eighth chapter of Eomans. We will 
read from the commencement of the chapter, verse one: 
' There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are 
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit." Who follow not the fleshly institutions of the law, 
but the spiritual precepts of the Gospel, verse two : " For the 
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free 
from the law of sin and death." We now ask, what law is 
here called the law of the Spirit of life ? I suppose all 
admit that it is the same which is called by the apostle 
James, " the perfect law of liberty." This is the Spirits 
law, given to man to free him from sin and death. But how 
is this done ? I answer, by continuing therein, not being 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 211 

forgetful hearers of the word, but doers of the work." 
Verses three and four : " For what the law could not do in 
that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own 
son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned 
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be 
fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the 
spirit ;" that is, God has destroyed sin, or freed us from it 
by sending his own son in the flesh, and thus making a sin 
offering in our nature. This the law could not do, because of 
the weakness of our flesh ; and this was done that we might 
fulfill all the righteous purposes of God in giving that law. 
Verse six: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be 
spiritually minded, is life and peace." They who follow the 
dictates of a carnal wicked disposition, are dead to all the 
enjoyment of a holy life, and their course will lead to eternal 
death ; but they whose minds are spiritual and heavenly, 
enjoy spiritual life and peace. Verses seven and eight: 
" Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is 
not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So 
then they that are in the flesh can not please God." Then 
all who wish to please the Lord should come out of that 
worldly, fleshly state ; for while they remain in the flesh, 
that is the world, under the influence of a worldly mind, 
they never can please God. Verse nine : " But ye are not 
in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God 
dwell in you." This shows that the apostle did not intend 
to teach that persons can not please the Lord while they 
remain in the body, as some have supposed ; for he refers to 
some who are still in the body, but who are not in the flesh, 
in the sense of this scripture. They have come out of the 
world, and have come into the family of God ; without doing 
which none can please the Lord. And the enjoyment of 
this blessed state is made to depend upon our having the 
Spirit of God dwelling in us, for Paul says, u if so be that 



212 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not 
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his/' 

This not only proves that Christians have the indwelling 
of God's Holy Spirit in their hearts, but it shows that those 
who have it not, are none of Christ's. It will not do to say 
that this only means the disposition of Christ, or the princi- 
ples which actuated our blessed Lord, for the eleventh verse 
shows that more than this is meant : " But if the Spirit of 
Him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, he 
that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your 
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." 

By this we learn that a portion of the same Spirit which 
quickened the body of Christ, dwells in Christians, and no 
one will say that that body which was crucified, dead and 
buried, was brought to life again by a mere quality of mind. 
But we are not only told by the apostles, that Christians 
have the Spirit which raised Christ from the dead, but that 
this is the same Spirit that shall quicken, and raise the 
sleeping dead in the last clay. Paul does not say that he 
has quickened your mortal bodies, but that he tvill do it, 
referring to the future ; and he does not say that this shall 
be done by a Spirit which is now confined in heaven, and 
which shall be sent to earth at that time to raise the dead, 
but that it shall be done by the Spirit of God which now 
dwells in the Christian's heart. The Spirit of Christ is a 
resurrection Spirit, and this is the reason why those who 
have it ascend to heaven, in their minds. Under this divine 
influence, the feelings and desires of the heart seem to raise 
toward heaven. I believe that this is the very Spirit that 
translated Enoch and Elijah to heaven. We now enjoy a 
portion of it, and all that is wanting to take all the saints to 
heaven in the same way, is enough of the same Spirit which 
Christians now enjoy ; an increase of quantity and not of 
quality, is what is wanting, and this shall be given when the 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 213 

Lord's time to raise the dead and change the living saints, 
shall come. Bat while we wait for that, let us be resigned 
to God's will, and seek to enjoy much of his Holy Spirit. 
This is our privilege, and let. us never be satisfied with- 
out it. 

But before we dismiss this part of our subject, we will 
give one caution. The apostle John says : " Beloved believe 
not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of 
God," 1 John iv, 1. From this admonition, it is clear that 
there is danger of being deceived. We may suppose that 
we have the Spirit of God, when we are under the influ- 
ence of a very different spirit. Christ told his disciples on 
one occasion, that they did not know what manner of spirit 
they were of. Even so w T e now may suppose that w r e are 
filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and may rejoice under 
that belief, when we are actuated by the spirit of error, 
which is opposed to the Spirit of Christ. 

The apostle John gives us a rule in the sixth verse of 
this chapter, by which we may ahvays prove what manner 
of spirit we are influenced by, and what kind of spirit our 
teachers are of. He says: "We are of God. He that 
knoweth God, heareth us ; he that is not of God, heareth 
not us. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the spirit 
of error." You will notice, my dear friends, that the apos- 
tle dees not say, that by this rule we suppose, or think, or 
guess, which is the Spirit of truth, and w T hich is the spirit 
of error ; but by this w r e Jcnoiv the spirits. And what is 
the rule ? Hear it again, my friends : " He that knoweth 
God, heareth us ; he that is not of God, heareth not us." 
By this rule, says John, "we know the Spirit of truth and 
the spirit of error." 

And we now T ask, what is it to hear the apostles ? In 
answer to this interrogation, we will give Dr. McKnight's 
note on this expression. " Hearkeneth to us. This mark 



214 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

by which John directed his disciples to judge of teachers, is 
not to be understood of their hearkening to the apostles 
personally, but of their receiving their doctrine with that 
submission which was due to persons inspired by the Spirit 
of Go:!. Wherefore, though the apostles be all dead, yet 
as they still speak in their divinely inspired writings, Jorm 
in this passage declares that their writings are the test by 
which the disciples of Christ, since the decease of the apos- 
tles, are to judge both teachers and their doctrine." Every 
spirit, then, which leads to an entire submission to the will 
of God, as contained in the writings of His holy apostles, 
and obedience to all his commandments just as he has given 
them, without any changing, or wresting them to suit our 
own views of propriety, is of God. But every spirit that 
leads to a neglect of God's commands ; that would change 
the mode of obeying them ; or that would teach that any 
of these commands are unessential, is not of God. I care 
not how T much zeal the person possessing that spirit may 
manifest, nor how much he may rejoice, nor how loud he 
may talk about his good feelings, he has not the Holy 
Spirit. He may not know what manner of spirit he is of, 
but it is certain, the apostle John being judge, that he has 
not the right kind of spirit ; he has the spirit of error and 
not the Spirit of truth. ! then, let us all try ourselves 
by this rule, that we may be able to assure our hearts 
before the Lord. 

We now wish to introduce one more inquiry, and when 
we shall have noticed that, we will close this discourse. 
The question we now propose^ is this : Is the Holy Spirit 
received conditionally? Does the Heavenly Father give 
his Spirit to persons w^hile in disobedience, or must man 
obey his Creator in order to get his Holy Spirit? 

We consider this a very important inquiry, and one that 
should be correctly, that is, scripturally answered ; for the 



THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 215 

answer an individual gives to this question, will very much 
control his conduct. If, for example, I answer that man 
can not obey God until he receive the Holy Spirit, in order 
to influence him to obedience, I will be very apt to remain 
in disobedience, waiting for that spirit. But if I conclude 
that I must obey the Lord, in order to obtain his Spirit, I 
will be inclined to do the will of God that I may enjoy his 
good Spirit. Considering the importance of this interro- 
gation, we will not make a proposition on it ; for a person 
may make a proposition, and then bend and scrap the scrip- 
tures so as to seem to prove it, although that proposition 
may be entirely repugnant to the word of God. We will 
proceed, therefore, to read a few scriptures which have a 
bearing on this question, and from them endeavor to learn 
the truth. 

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood 
and thus cried: if any man thirst, let him come unto me 
and drink. He that believeth on me as the scripture hath 
said, out of his heart" (Jcoilias, from Jcoilos, which means 
the breast, heart, inward parts,) " shall flow rivers of liv- 
ing water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they 
that believe on him should receive." 

The point in this quotation to which we invite special 
attention, is, that faith in Christ, and coming to him, are 
set forth as terms upon which the Spirit is to be received. 
The Saviour here says to all who desire to enjoy the Spirit 
of God, that if they will believe on him and come unto 
him according to his holy word, they shall receive that good 
Spirit to overflowing. 

In John xiv, 15, we read as follows: "If ye love me, 
keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and 
he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with 
you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world can 
not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him." 



216 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

According to this plain declaration of the Saviour, it is 
as clear as cloudless noonday, that we must do the com- 
mandments of God in order to receive his Spirit. 

But again: In Acts v, 32, we have these words: " And 
we are his witnesses of these things ; and so is also the 
Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to all them that obey 
him." This scripture not only proves that God does give 
his Holy Spirit to all who obey him, but plainly implies 
that he does not give it to those who refuse to obey him. 

The next passage we will read is found in Eph. i, 13: 
" In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of 
truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom after that ye 
believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." 
From this scripture it will be seen, that the persons here 
named heard the gospel, believed in Christ, and trusted in 
the Lord for salvation, before they received the holy, seal- 
ing Spirit of God. The apostle does not say, ye received 
the Holy Spirit to enable you to believe; but, "after ye 
believed ye ivere sealed with the Holy Spirit" 

The next and last scripture that we shall now read, is 
found in Acts ii, 38, and reads as follows : "Bepent and be 
baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for 
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
Holy Ghost." This is an answer given to an interrogation 
of the most important character, under the most trying 
circumstances. By the preaching of Peter, many had been 
made to feel their ruined condition, and under the deepest - 
concern of soul, they " cried out, men and brethren, what 
shall we do?" In answer to this important question, the 
apostle uttered the words just quoted, in which you will 
see, my dear friends, that repentance and baptism are made 
terms upon which the Holy Spirit is promised. " Kepent 
and be baptized," said Peter, "and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Spirit." 



THE WORK OF THE HOLT SPIRIT. 217 

From all these scriptures which we have now introduced, 
(and you would do well to read them with their connection, 
on ) r our retirement, my friendly hearers,) we come to the 
following plain and natural conclusion : That faith in Christ, 
and a coming to him by reformation and baptism, are the 
terms laid down in the gospel, upon which God has prom- 
ised his Holy Spirit to man : and that in order to retain 
that Comforter within our hearts, we must continue to keep 
his commandments. 

In view of all that we have now r said on this subject, per- 
mit me, in conclusion, to say to all who have named the 
name of Christ, "be steadfast, unmovable, always abound- 
ing in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that 
your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Watch against all 
the vicious influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil ; 
and ever keep yourselves unspotted by the evil practices of 
a wicked and perverse generation. Shun every appearance 
of evil, and live soberly, and righteously and godly in this 
present world. " Do good unto all men, and especially to 
those who are of the household of faith." ! let us all 
endeavor to walk worthy the vocation wherewith we are 
called, with all meekness, and lowliness, and long-suffering, 
forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the 
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ; and last, but by 
no means least, let us not neglect to meet the Lord's peo- 
ple, in the Lord's house, on the Lord's day. Here it is that 
we may make a near approach to the Lord, and receive 
much of his good spirit, and obtain grace to help in every 
time of need. 

Eemember, my Christian brethren, that the nearer we 
live to the Lord, the more of his Holy Spirit we shall enjoy. 
O ! then, let us endeavor to walk in all the commandments 
and ordinances of the Lord blameless, that we may be com- 
forted and strengthened with might bv the Spirit in the 
19 



218 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

inner man, and thus be enabled to glorify God in our bodies 
and spirits, which are his, while we remain upon the earth ; 
and that we may be quickened by his spirit in the morning 
of great eternity, and enter upon the enjoyment of undy- 
ing glories, in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 

And you, my friends, who have not submitted to the law 
of Christ, let me exhort you to come to the Saviour, that 
you may be pardoned and receive his good Spirit. Remem- 
ber, now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salva- 
tion. "The Spirit and the bride say come, and let him 
that heareth say come, and let him that is athirst come, 
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
If, then, you desire to receive that good Spirit, you see you 
must come to Christ for it. Then rely upon him for salva- 
tion, repent of all your sins, reform your lives, and resolve, 
before God, angels and men, that you will spend the rem- 
nant of your days in the service of the Lord ; and, with 
this determination deeply fixed in your heart, go forward 
and be buried with the Lord in baptism, and arise and walk 
in newness of life. In thus obeying the gospel, you have 
the promise of the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the 
Holy Spirit, to cheer you through life's rugged journey ; 
and, if faithful to death, you shall receive a crown of life 
that fadeth not away. 0! then, fly to Jesus while you 
may, lest procrastination should prove your eternal ruin. 



SERMON IX. 

ELECTION. 

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, 
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God 
the Father, through sanctiflcation of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the 
blood of Jesus Christ : Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. 1 Peter i, 1, 2. 

From many expressions found in this epistle, it seems to 
have been written at a time of great persecution. On 
account of their attachment to Christ and his holy religion, 
Christians were driven from their holnes, and scattered 
abroad through the various parts of the country named in 
the commencement of this epistle. And now, lest they 
should be overcome by sufferings and poverty, and thus be 
led to abandon the cause of Christ, Peter writes this letter 
for the purpose of comforting them in their deep distress. 
Hence, he says to them, in the fourth chapter, " Beloved, 
think it not strange concerning the fierv trial which is to 
try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you, 
but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffer- 
ings ; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad also with exceeding joy." 

Among the many things which he brings to their remem- 
brance as sources of consolation, is the fact that they are 
the elect of God — elected according to his foreknowledge. 
And I ask, what was better calculated to comfort them, in 
the midst of the sufferings and deaths to which they were 

(219). 



220 THE FAMILY COMPANION, 

constantly exposed, than the fact that they were God's elect,, 
or chosen people? They could well say, in view of this 
fact, " If God be for us, who can be against us?" 

From this scripture, as well as many others which might 
be quoted, you will see, my friends, that the doctrine of 
election is a Bible doctrine. I take the ground to-day that 
the scriptures do teach the doctrine of election by grace. 

But in regard to this Bible doctrine, there are two gen- 
eral views entertained. Some present the subject in the 
following light : 

Long before time began, there was a secret covenant en- 
tered into between the Father and the Son, by virtue of 
which a certain number of the human family was given to 
Christ. These, Christ agreed with the Father, to save — 
and therefore he will save them. These are the elect, and 
their salvation was thus unconditionally secured from all 
eternity. This is called eternal election, and the number 
thus elected is said to be so definite that it can not be in- 
creased or diminished. 

(I have always wondered, if this electing covenant was a 
secret covenant, how the preachers found it out.) 

It is further held that those who were not embraced in 
that eternal covenant are passed by in the councils of re- 
demption, so that there is no salvation for them — they must 
perish, and that forever. It was once taught that these 
were reprobated from all eternity to everlasting damnation ; 
but I believe there are but few, if any, who openly avow 
that sentiment now. Instead of saying the elect and repro- 
bate, now, they say, the elect and the passed by. 

The other view of the doctrine of election is the follow- 
ing : That to elect is to choose, and that there is a time in 
the history of all the chosen when this election takes place ; 
that this election is obtained on certain conditions, and that 
% these conditions are made known to all, in the gospel, and 



ELECTION. 221 

all who comply with them become the elect of God ; while 
those who will not comply with God's terms of election, are 
reprobated by their own evil works, and, dying in this state, 
will be condemned, because they had. pleasure in unright- 
eousness. 

This last view of the doctrine of election is ours ; but we 
have no doubt that many very honest persons hold the for- 
mer. I have no doubt but that they honestly believe that 
their views are found in the Holy Scriptures ; hence, they 
will quote many passages to sustain the position they have 
taken on the subject. Well, we now design entering into 
a careful examination of most of the scriptures which are 
relied on to sustain the doctrine of eternal and uncondi- 
tional election and passing by, for the purpose of seeing if 
they really do prove that doctrine. 

But before entering upon this investigation, we concede 
that there have been many special, particular, and, I may 
say, unconditional elections under the government of the 
Heavenly Father. All such elections, however, were for 
the good of others, and not for the special and exclusive 
benefit of the persons elected. Christ is the elect of God, 
but he was chosen to " give his life a ransom for all to be 
testified in due tiuie." The seed of Abraham was an elect 
seed ; but it was chosen to be the means of blessing others. 
" In thy seed," said God, " shall all the nations of the earth 
be blessed." Paul was a chosen vessel, but he was elected 
to go to the " Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn 
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
to God, that they might obtain remission of sins, and an 
inheritance among the sanctified." But now, whether those 
thus elected enjoyed the favor of God, and got to heaven, 
depended upon the faithful discharge of the duties imposed 
upon them by virtue of their election. Hence Paul had to 



222 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

keep his body under subjection, lest after he had preached 
to others he himself should be a castaway. 

But we now proceed to the investigation. The first scrip- 
ture we will examine is found in Isaiah i, 5, 6, and reads 
thus: " The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint ; 
from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no 
soundness in it, but wounds and bruises, and putrifying 
sores." 

This scripture is adduced, not so much to prove the doc- 
trine of election and passing by, as to support another fea- 
ture of the system, namely : that all mankind are by nature 
totally and hereditarily depraved. It is held that by reason 
of this total depravity, man, in a state of nature, can not 
think a good thought, or perform a good act ; and that all 
that is necessary in order to consummate the ruin of the 
whole world is for God to withhold his special and enlight- 
ening grace. But that he does, of his own good will, impart 
illuminating and converting grace to the elect ; not to 
make them God's people, but to let them know that they 
are his. 

I have sometimes heard this illustrated in this way : A 
owes B fifty dollars, and is not able to pay it. C, as A's 
surety, pays the debt, in the absence of A. Now B has no 
demand against A, but as A has no knowledge of the fact, 
he may have much uneasiness on the subject. But B now 
sends A a receipt, not because A has paid the fifty dollars, 
but to let him know that C has paid it for him. So God 
converts the sinner — not to make him God's elect, but to 
let him know that he was such. 

Upon the scripture just quoted from Isaiah, we will 
remark that it has no reference to any person now living, 
and that it never was intended to apply to the moral 
state of man by nature. To prove this first remark, we 



ELECTION. 223 

need only read the first verse of the chapter, and of the 
book. 

" The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, which he saw 
concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, 
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." Thus you 
perceive that this vision had exclusive reference to Judah 
and Jerusalem in the days of these four kings. We some- 
times illustrate the meaning of this scripture by the follow- 
ing figure : Suppose a father has a rebellious son. He 
reasons with him, and exhorts him to obey his father, but 
he still refuses. He then chastises him, but he still disobeys. 
He lays upon him many stripes ; but he still rebels, until 
his father exclaims, O ! sinful child, why need you be 
stricken any more ? You will rebel more and more. The 
head is sick, and the whole heart is faint ; from head to foot 
there is no soundness ; you are full of wounds and bruises 
by means of the stripes I have inflicted upon you. Come, now, 
and let us reason together upon this subject. Thus it was 
with the Jewish nation at this time. They had rebelled 
against God, and hence he says, " I have nourished and 
brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." 
For this rebellion. God had brought on them one judgment 
after another, but still they rebelled, until he breaks forth 
in the doleful words first quoted, and declares that they 
are full of wounds from the sole of the foot even unto the 
head. The whole nation, from the king upon the throne 
to the meanest subject, were suffering on account of these 
chastisements of the Lord. Hence, he says, u Your country 
is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your land, 
strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate as 
overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left 
as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucum- 
bers, as a besieged city." These judgments and calamities 
are the wounds and bruises complained of in this prophecy, 



224 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and these were brought upon them for their own wicked- 
ness, and not because of their natural depravity. 

The next scripture that we shall notice is found in the 
first chapter of Ephesians, and reads thus: " According as 
he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the 
world, that we should be holy, and without blame before 
him in love ; having predestined us unto the adoption of 
children by Jesus Christ to himself. In whom we also 
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according 
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the 
counsel of his own will." Eph. i, 4, 5, 11. 

You will notice, my friends, that the apostle does not 
say of these persons that they were predestinated children, 
but that they were predestinated unto the adoption of chil- 
dren — that is, they were predestinated to be adopted into 
the family of God, by Christ Jesus. But now, in order to 
enjoy the benefits of this predestination, it was necessary 
for them to be adopted. I now make the following propo- 
sitions: First — some of the very persons who were thus 
predestinated failed to enjoy the benefits of their predesti- 
nation, and were lost. Second — -some who were not of the 
predestinated number here spoken of, were adopted into 
the family of God, and sealed with the Holy Spirit. If 
these two points can be sustained, you perceive that we need 
not be much concerned to know whether we are of the pre- 
destinated number or not — for if we are, we may be lost, 
and if we are not, still we may be saved ; and thus it will 
be seen that this scripture does not sustain the doctrine of 
unconditional, eternal election and passing by. 

But in order to understand this scripture, we must notice 
who the writer is, and who the persons addressed are. Paul 
is the writer, and he was a Jew. He says, " I also am an 
Israelite, of the seed of Abraham." This address was 
made to those who had embraced the Christian religion 



ELECTION. 225 

from among the Gentiles ; and hence, the apostle says to 
them : " Remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in 
the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which 
is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands." 
Ch. ii, 11, 12. Then we have a Christian Jew writing to 
Gentile Christians. 

Now, you will notice, my friends, that the apostle changes 
his mode of address some two or three times in the course 
of this chapter. ;; Grace be to you from God our Father." 
V. 2. Here he addresses them in the second person, but 
in the fourth verse he changes his mode of address, and 
says, " According as he hath chosen us (not you) in him 
from the foundation of the world." " Having predestinated 
us (not you, Gentiles) unto the adoption of children by 
Jesus Christ." But at the thirteenth verse he again 
changes the person of his address, and says, " In whom ye 
also trusted, after that ye heard the w r ord of truth," etc. 
Now, by the particle also, the apostle shows that the persons 
spoken of in this verse were not included in anything said 
from the close of the third verse to the commencement of 
the thirteenth — consequently they did not belong to the pre- 
destinated number of whom Paul here speaks ; and yet when 
they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of 
promise. But of those predestinated it is said : " He came 
to his own, and his own received him not. But as many as 
received him, to them gave he the power to become the 
sons of God, even to them that believed on his name." 
John i, 11, 12. 

Thus you perceive that the Jews were the predestinated 
— they were predestined before the foundation of the 
Jewish age to be adopted the children of God ; but faith 
in Christ was one of the conditions of the adoption ; hence 
those who did not believe never obtained the privilege of 
this adoption. But when the Gentiles who were not thus 



226 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

specially predestinated believed in Christ, the} r obtained the 
power to become the sons of God. They trusted in Christ, 
and were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 

The next scripture we will notice, which is relied on to 
prove the doctrine of unconditional and eternal election, is 
found in the eighth chapter of Eomans, and reads thus: 
" For whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be 
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the 
first-born among many brethen. Moreover, whom he did 
predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, 
them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he 
also glorified." V. 29, 30. 

In order to understand this scripture, as well as other 
portions of this epistle, which we shall examine in this in- 
vestigation, it will be necessary to notice the design of the 
apostle's argument. 

At the time this letter was written — as noticed in a pre- 
vious discourse — a controversy was going on in reference 
to the privileges which should be granted to those who 
turned to God from among the Gentiles. The Jews con- 
tended that the privileges and blessings of the gospel 
should not be granted unto the Gentile world. The apos- 
tles taught that God had granted unto the Gentiles all the 
blessings of the gospel, on the same terms on which they 
were offered to the Jews. That, under the reign of Christ, 
no difference was made between the two nations, but that 
all stood on equal ground, so far as the gospel was con- 
cerned. This accounts for the following expression, found 
in this letter : " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; 
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Ch. i, 
16. " Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man 
that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile ; 
but glory, and honor, and peace, to every one that worketh 



ELECTION. 227 

good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." Ch. ii, 9, 
10. "Are we (Jews), better than they (the Gentiles)? 
No, in no wise ; for we have before proved, both Jews and 
Gentiles, that they are all under sin. ;? Ch. iii, 9. " Is he 
the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gen- 
tiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles. Cometh this blessedness 
upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision 
also ? » Ch. iv, 9. 

You will find, my friends, that this epistle abounds with 
expressions of this kind, all of which go to show, beyond 
the possibility of doubt or cavil, that Paul's main object in 
writing this letter, was to settle the controversy before 
mentioned, and to prove that, under the gospel, no differ- 
ence should be made between Jew and Gentile ; that all 
should enjoy the same privileges. To oppose this view, 
the Jews would refer to the high privileges and national 
glory which God granted them under the old covenant, and 
contend that these blessings were granted to them because 
they were better than other men. But the apostle tells 
them, that as a nation they are no better than the Gen* 
tiles, but that God had given them these honors because 
of a predestination which had passed in his mind, long be- 
fore they were brought into the actual possession of them. 
For whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to be con- 
formed to the image of his Son. But we now ask, whom 
did he foreknow ? Near the conclusion of this general 
argument, the apostle says : " Hath God cast away his 
people ? God forbid. For I also am an Isrealite, of the 
seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath 
not cast away his people, whom he foreknew." Ch. xi, 1, 2. 
That is, God hath not cast away the whole Jewish nation \ 
for "as many as received him, to them gave he power to 
become the sons of God. ?; This shows clearly that the 
Jewish nation, or the seed of Abraham, was the foreknown 



228 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

of God, who were predestinated to be conformed to the 
image of his Son ; or, according to Ephesians i, 4, to be 
adopted into the family of God. 

Now says the apostle, in reference to those whom he fore- 
knew, " Whom he did predestinate, them he also called." 
But when and where did he call these predestinated ones ? 
" When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called 
my Son out of Egypt." Hosea xi, 1. By the hand of 
Moses did God call and bring his people whom he foreknew, 
or approved before, out of the land of bondage, unto a 
goodly land. And those whom he thus called, he also jus- 
tified. He justified them in going into the land of Canaan, 
and taking possession of it. On what principle could they 
have been justified in driving out the holders of the land, 
and taking it into their own possession, only that God fore- 
knew them in the covenant he made with their father 
Abraham, which covenant secured to them this land? 
"And whom he justified, them he also glorified." The 
word glorified, Webster defines thus : " Honored, dignified, 
exalted to glory." One of the prophets, speaking of the 
glory which had once dwelt in the house of God, among 
the Jews, but which had been lost by reason of sin, says : 
"I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations 
shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the 
Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house (the Tem- 
ple rebuilt), shall be greater than of the former, saith the 
Lord of ho&ts." Hag. ii, 7, 9. Yes, my friends, God gave 
this people glory and honor above all the nations of the 
earth. He even honored them with the emblem of the 
divine presence. Hence we learn, that when Moses had 
finished the tabernacle, " then a cloud covered the tent of 
the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tab- 
ernacle." Ex. xl, 34. 

Thus was the seed of Abraham foreknown, called, justified 



ELECTION. 229 

and glorified; and the apostle introduces these facts 
here, to show them that they had not attained these privi- 
leges by their own good works, but they were granted unto 
them by virtue of a divine arrangement made with Abra- 
ham, before they were born. The conclusion, then, would 
be, if God sees proper to grant the blessings of the gospel 
to the Gentiles, the Jews ought not to complain ; that 
God's manner of dealing with them would fully justify 
him in extending all gospel blessings to the whole world, 
on the same terms. Thus it will be seen, that instead of 
this scripture proving the doctrine of eternal, unconditional 
election to heavenly glories, it is but a part of an argu- 
ment leveled directly against that very doctrine. 

I know that some good brethren apply this passage to 
the ancient saints who have been called from earth to 
glory ; perhaps those who rose at the resurrection of Christ ; 
but I can see no reason why Paul should introduce those 
persons into this argument. I can not see what bearing 
their case would have had upon the subject. But the view 
we have presented, is in good keeping with the whole argu- 
ment, as will appear more fully as we proceed. 

We will now invite attention to the ninth chapter of this 
epistle. This chapter has been thought to contain more 
Calvanism than any other portion of the New Testament. 
Some have called Paul a Calvinist, and the apostle James 
an Arminian ; but we make no such distinctions among 
the witnesses of our Lord. 

But to the chapter. " I say the truth in Christ; I lie 
not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy 
Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sor- 
row in my heart. For I could wish that myself were 
accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen accord- 
ing to the flesh." Paul seems to make this statement for 
the purpose of preparing his brethren for his following 



230 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

arguments, and especially for a declaration which he makes 
in the eleventh chapter : " What then ! Israel hath not 
obtained that which he seeketh for ; but the election hath 
obtained it, and the rest were blinded," etc. V. 7. 

He would seem to say, I do not make this statement out 
of any ill will which I entertain toward my brethren, for 
11 1 have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart" 
for them. Some render this passage thus : "I have great 
grief and unceasing anguish in my heart, for my brethren, 
my kinsmen according to the flesh, (for I also was, myself, 
wishing to be accursed from Christ)." That is, I have 
great feeling for them, for I once had the same views of 
Christ which they now have. 

This rendering seems natural, and well agrees with 
Paul's past history. He then proceeds to speak of his 
brethren thus : " Who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth 
the adoption ? " etc. By virtue of the predestination which 
we have already noticed, the adoption belonged to them. 
But by rejecting Christ, they lost this privilege. " Not as 
though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they 
are not all Israel who are of Israel. Neither because they 
are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but in 
Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are 
the children of the flesh, these are not the children of 
God ; but the children of the promise are counted for the 
seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time will I 
come, and Sarah shall have a son," Ishmael was indeed 
a son of Abraham, but not the son of promise ; but Isaac 
being the promised son, the seed was reckoned in him. 

" For this is the word of promise, At this time will I 
come, and Sarah shall have a son." This reference to 
the promise which God made to Abraham, Paul makes, for 
the purpose of showing that the Lord granted unto Isaac 
the privilege of being the progenitor of the promised seed 



ELECTION. 231 

because of that promise, and not because of any good thing 
which he had done. And the force of this remark will bo 
seen at once when we consider the subject which the apostle 
is discussing. You will remember, my friends, that the 
great apostle of the Gentiles is here defending the rights 
and privileges of that people. The subject of privilege, 
then, is the subject under consideration. The Jews claimed 
privileges above the Gentiles, on account of their good 
works, and because of the high favors which God had con- 
ferred upon them. But Paul here lets them know that 
Isaac received the privilege of being the progenitor of the 
promised seed by virtue of a promise made to his father 
before he was born, and hence, that it could not have been 
on account of any good works which he had done. The 
natural conclusion would then be this : that if God saw 
proper to grant the blessings of the gospel to the Gentiles, 
the Jews had no reason to complain. 

This view will appear still more fully as we proceed. 
" And not only so," (God not only chose Isaac in preference 
to Ishmael), " but when Eebecca also had conceived by one, 
even by our father Isaac, (for the children being not yet 
born, neither having done any good nor evil, that the pur- 
pose of God, according to election, might stand, not of 
works, but of him that calleth), it was said unto her, The 
elder shall serve the younger." Verses 10, 11, 12. The 
eleventh verse is a parenthesis, and hence we would under- 
stand the apostle better by reading the tenth and twelfth 
verses together; thus, " when Rebecca had conceived by 
one, even by our father Isaac, it was said unto her, The 
elder shall serve the younger." 

But then the question may be asked, Why was this said 
unto her? Paul answers, " That the purpose of God, 
according to election, might stand." And what was that 
purpose ? We answer, that the promised seed might be 



232 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

reckoned in Jacob, and not in Esau. This was not an elec- 
tion to heavenly glories, and a reprobation to eternal ruin. 
Heaven and hell are not the subjects under consideration. 
The promised seed must of necessity be counted in one of 
these two sons, and God had the right to say which ; and 
by the exercise of that right, he chose, or elected, Jacob 
for that purpose. But in doing so, he did not consign Esau 
to eternal torment. Nor did the choosing of Jacob for the 
purpose here spoken of secure to him a place in heaven 
without any future effort on his part. This depended upon 
bis personal conduct in this life. 

But the apostle proceeds : "As it is written, Jacob have 
I loved, and Esau have I hated." Without noticing the 
connection of these verses, some have thought that Paul 
here teaches that God loved Jacob and hated Esau before 
they were born. But, my friends, by looking at this pas- 
sage again, you will perceive that the apostle does not say 
that God said unto Eebecca, that he had loved Jacob and 
hated Esau ; but, that the elder should serve the younger. 
And then he says, " As it is written, Jacob have'I loved, and 
Esau have I hated." But we ask, Where was this written ? 
We answer, in the very last book in the Old Testament- 
some twelve hundred years after Jacob and Esau had both 
gone to the silence of the tomb. That we may understand 
this declaration, we must remember that the names of Jacob 
and Esau were applied to their descendants after their 
death, as national titles. The whole Jewish nation was 
called Jacob, and Israel, after their father ; and the same 
is true in reference to Esau ; and hence, the hatred and 
love mentioned in Malachi i, 2, 3, applied to Jacob and 
Esau nationally, and not individually. In this passage the 
Lord complains of Israel, saying : " I have loved you, saith 
the Lord ; yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us ? ;l Then 
God answers : " Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the 



ELECTION. 233 

Lord; yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his 
mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the 
wilderness." 

Bat the question may now be started, Why did the hatred 
or displeasure of the Lord thus rest upon Esau, or the 
Edomites? A plain and satisfactory answer will be found 
in the book of Obadiah. We commence reading at the 
eighth verse : " Shall I not in that day, saifch the Lord, even 
destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of 
mount Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be 
dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau 
may be cut off by slaughter." But why did God thus deal 
with the descendants of Esau? Was it because he had 
determined so to deal with them even before their father 
was born ? Or was it on account of their own personal 
wickedness ? Hear the answer my friends : " For thy vio 
lence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, 
and thou shalt be cut off forever." V. 10. 

After the Lord had called to remembrance the unright- 
eous conduct of that people, he proceeds thus : " For the 
day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen ; AS THOU HAST 

DONE, IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO THEE ; THY REWARD SHALL 

return UPON thine OWN head." V. 15. Thus, my friends, 
you perceive that, instead of this passage favoring eternal 
and unconditional election to heavenly glories and reproba- 
tion to eternal burnings, it proves that just and equitable 
doctrine, that God will render to every one according to his 
works. 

But we now return to the consideration of the ninth 
chapter of Romans. " What shall we say then ? Is there 
unrighteousness with God ? God forbid. For he saith to 
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and 
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 
Verses 14, 15. That God has the sovereign right to exercise 
20 



234 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

his mercy and compassion on whom he will, none will deny. 
But if it be asked, Upon whom will he exercise his mercy ? 
we answer, in the words of David: "With the merciful, 
thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright thou 
wilt show thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt show 
thyself pure, and with the f'roward thou wilt show thyself 
froward; and the afflicted people thou wilt save ; but thine 
eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them 
down." 2 Sam. xxii, 26, 27, 28. 

But Paul proceeds : " So then it is not of him that will- 
eth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth 
mercy." V. 16. With what an appearance of triumph do 
predestinarians introduce this scripture into their religious 
discourses! This declaration is applied to the subject of 
becoming Christians, and getting to heaven, and from it, it 
is argued that these blessings are not to be obtained by 
willing or striving — that the sinner must wait God's good 
time, and if he wills to have mercy upon them, he will do 
so without any willing or running on their part — for, say 
they, it is not of him that willeth, nor him that runneth, 
but of God that showeth mercy. 

But, my friends, the whole meaning of this passage turns 
upon the little neuter pronoun it. Surely, it will not do to 
make pardon, and heaven, the antecedent to it, in this sen- 
tence, when these subjects have not even been mentioned 
in the preceding connection. What is the subject under 
consideration ? We again remind you, friends, that the 
apostle is here discussing the subject of privilege ; and now 
referring to what he had said about the privileges granted 
to Isaac and Jacob, and which had long continued to their 
posterity, he says : " It is not of him that willeth, nor run- 
neth, but of God that showeth mercy." You know, my 
dear hearers, that Isaac willed that Esau should have the 
blessing, and Esau ran for it, but Jacob got it, and with it 



ELECTION. 235 

the privilege of being the progenitor ot the promised seed. 
Bat why is this matter referred to here ? I answer, to 
prove to the Jews that if God sees proper to grant the 
privileges of the gospel to the Gentiles, the Jews have no 
right to complain, for the matter of privilege is not of him 
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, who 
alone has the right to offer gospel privileges to whom he 
will. 

" For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this 
same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my 
power in thee, and that my name might be declared through- 
out all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he 
will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth." Verses 
17, 18. 

This passage has also been forced into the service of 
those who teach the doctrine of unconditional election and 
passing by. But if it has anything to do with that doc- 
trine, it not only proves that God saves the elect uncondi- 
tionally, but that he also hardens the hearts of those whom 
he has passed by, and thus makes their condition even 
worse than it is by nature ! Worse and worse. The ad- 
vocates of the doctrine which we are now examining tell us 
that all men are, by nature, totally and hereditarily de- 
praved, and all that is necessary to consummate their ruin 
is for God to withhold from them his enlightening and 
quickening grace. And then, in order to sustain a falling 
system, it must be made appear that notwithstanding the 
non-elect are by nature wholly indisposed to do any good 
thing, yet, lest they should perad venture put forth their 
hand and obey the Lord, God hardens their heart, and 
makes them worse than even total depravity itself ! ! 

In regard to Pharaoh's case, we differ from many who do 
not believe in the doctrine of eternal election. Some sup- 
pose that God only hardened Pharaoh's heart by conferring 



236 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

blessings upon him ; as blessings rejected tend to harden ; 
but from the entire testimony found in the history of that 
wicked king, I am bound to believe that God did directly 
and miraculously harden his heart. 

By referring to Exodus iv r , 21, you see that when God 
appeared unto Moses to send him into Egypt to deliver 
Israel, he told him that he would harden the heart of Pha- 
raoh. This promise was made before Moses had even per- 
formed one miracle in the presence of Pharaoh, or had 
brought one judgment upon him. And by reading the 
whole history of that wicked monarch, you will find that it 
is said three times that Pharaoh hardened his own heart ; 
three times it is said that his heart was hardened, without 
saying who did it ; four times God said that he would 
harden his heart, and seven times it is said most positively 
that God did harden his heart. We therefore conclude that 
the Lord did harden Pharaoh's heart, but we ask, Why did 
he do it? The Lord answers: "That I might show my 
power in thee, and that my name might be declared 
throughout all the earth. v 

When any government decides that for certain crimes 
the transgressor shall be pat to death, the same government 
has a right to say in what way he shall be executed, and 
all wise and benevolent men seek to make the execution 
accomplish the greatest amount of good to the living. 

On this very principle did God act toward Pharaoh. He 
had forfeited his life by his own wicked works, and the Lord 
determined to identify his death with the deliverance of his 
people in such a manner as to show that he did not come 
to his end in an ordinary way, but that he was destroyed by 
the direct power of God. This would be calculated to deter 
others from wickedness. 

According to this view, we read that when the children 
of Israel were upon the banks of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh 



ELECTION. 237 

and his hosts were now in sight, that " the Lord said unto 
Moses: ° ° 9 Speak unto the children of Israel, 
that they go forward, ° ° ° and I, even I, will 
harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow 
them, and I will get ine honor upon Pharaoh, and upon his 
hosts," etc. Ex. xiv, 13, etc. 

But why is this case alluded to here? I answer, to 
show the Jews that notwithstanding God had broken them 
off from the blessings and privileges of the gospel, and 
had poured upon them the spirit of sleep and slumber, and 
darkened their eyes so that they might not see, he had 
only treated them as he had treated others for their sins. 
Thus, it will be seen that this passage has nothing what- 
ever to do with the doctrine of unconditional election and 
passing by. 

But let us continue our examination of the ninth chapter 
of Bomans. " Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he 
yet find fault ? for who hath resisted his will ? Nay but, 
O man, who art thou that repliest against God. Shall the 
thing formed say unto him that formed it, why hast thou 
made me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, 
of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and 
another unto dishonor V 7 

This scripture has long been used to support the doctrine 
of unconditional and eternal election and reprobation. 

Some seem to think, that because God has the same 
right to dispose of men according to his own pleasure, that 
the potter possesses over his clay, that it follows, as a mat- 
ter of course, that he has predestined the eternal destiny 
of all men. But this is by no means a fair conclusion. 
Because the potter has power over his clay, to make of the 
same lump, one vessel for a more honorable purpose than 
another, it does not follow that he will make some vessels 
for destruction. 



238 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

But because we are not willing to admit that God did, 
from all eternity, elect some men and angels to everlasting 
glory, and that he passed by all others, and left them to 
be eternally miserable — some think that we limit the 
power of God — that we are not willing for the Lord of the. 
universe to do as he pleases with his own. But, my friends, 
we are the last persons to object to the sovereignty of God. 
We believe that he has the same power over the whole 
human family that the potter has over the clay. Yes, my 
friends, we are all in the hands of God, as clay in the 
hands of the potter. He has an undisputed right to dis- 
pose of all men according to his own will, and to stipulate 
the terms upon which he will make one man a vessel of 
honor, and another a vessel of dishonor. 

At this point, Predestinarians object, virtually, to the 
sovereignty of God, and manifest an unwillingness for the 
heavenly Father to do as he pleases. Yes, at this very 
point, this charge, which they have so often preferred 
against others, falls upon themselves. They oppose the 
very idea of conditions in this matter, and would reason 
the Lord out of his own terms, because, forsooth, they 
think it incompatible with the sovereign power of God, for 
him to suspend the destiny of man upon conditions. But 
we contend that the Lord has a right to do with us as 
seometh to him good, and that he has suspended our weal 
or woe on our own conduct. 

Inasmuch, then, as we are all in the hands of God, as 
clay in the hands of the potter, we ask, on what terms 
does the Lord propose to make vessels of honor, or of dis- 
honor ? This is an important question ; it has in it inte- 
rests which reach into the world of spirits, and lay hold on 
things invisible and eternal. That we may fully under- 
stand this matter, we will now turn to the eighteenth 
chapter of Jeremiah, and read from the commencement : 



ELECTION. 239 

" The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, say- 
ing, arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I 
will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to 
the potter's house, and heboid, he wrought a work on the 
wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in 
the hand of the potter ; so he made it again, another vessel, 
as seemed good to the potter to make it." V. 1, 2, 3, 4. 

Here was a literal fact which transpired before the 
prophet. The potter had intended to make one kind of 
vessel of the lump upon which he was operating when the 
prophet visited him ; but it was marred in his hands, so 
that it would not answer the purpose first proposed. Well, 
the clay was his own ; he could do as he pleased with it, 
and therefore he just made of it another vessel, according 
to his own will. 

While this example was resting upon the prophet's 
mind — while he was reflecting upon the manner in which 
the potter had disposed of that piece of clay, he says : 
" Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, O 
house of Israel, can not I do with you as this potter? saith 
the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hands, so 
are ye in my hand, house of Israel." V. 5, 6. 

From this declaration, you see that the Lord applies this 
parable to the house of Israel, and by it would give the 
Jews to understand, that they, as a nation, were in his 
hand, as clay in that potter's hand — and that he could mold 
them into vessels of honor or dishonor, according to his 
own good pleasure. But he does not leave them without 
farther instruction, for he proceeds to tell them his own 
terms — or conditions, if you please — upon which the honor 
or dishonor of any people rests. Hear it, my friends. 

"At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and 
concerning a kingdom, to pluck, and to pull down and to des- 
troy it : if that nation against whom I have pronounced, 



240 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought 
to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak con- 
cerning a kingdon, to build and to plant it: if it do evil in 
in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent 
of the good where with I said I would benefit them." V. 7, 
8, 9, 10. 

This removes the vail from the doctrine of the potter 
and the clay, and shows, in the light of heaven's eternal 
truth, the principle upon which every man's destiny will 
be forever settled. The people of Nineveh understood 
this principle, and notwithstanding God had said, by the 
mouth of his prophet, " Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall 
be overthrown/' — without expressing one single condition — 
yet they, believing God, repented in sackcloth and ashes, 
and cried mightily to God, saying, " Who can tell if God 
will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, 
that we perish not." And the Lord did deal with them 
according to the principle developed in the eighteenth chap- 
ter of Jeremiah ; for when " God saw their works, that 
they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil 
that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it 
not." See Jonah iii. 

But if any should ask, why does Paul introduce the pot- 
ter and the clay into his argument, in the ninth of Romans, 
we answer, for the purpose of justifying the ways of God 
to man, and to show the Jews, that notwithstanding they 
had been formed of the Lord for vessels of honor, yet by 
their own evil doings they had become marred in the 
hands of the Lord, so that he was now T about to mold 
them into vessels of dishonor. He had endured with much 
long-suffering these vessels of wrath, who had fitted them- 
selves for destruction ; but he now determined to bear with 
them no longer ; hence Paul declares, in this general con- 
nection, that they were broken off because of unbelief. As 



ELECTION. 241 

a nation, God has dealt with them as the potter, whom 
Jeremiah saw, did with the clay. They were marred in 
his hand, and he has made them vessels of dishonor, even 
until this day. 

Paul would further prove, by the example of the potter 
and the clay, that if the Gentiles should turn from their 
sins, and do that which is right, the Lord will make them 
vessels of honor, and that no one durst reply against God ; 
" for the potter has power over the clay, of the same lump 
to make one vessel unto honor, and another to dishonor." 

Thus, my friends, you perceive that this chapter when 
rightly understood, according to the apostle's design, fails, 
utterly fails, to sustain the doctrine of eternal, uncondi- 
tional election and passing by ; and hence, that system 
must go off, limping, to some other part of the good book, 
for support. 

But if any should ask, is the principle laid down in the 
eighteenth of Jeremiah, found anywhere in the New Tes- 
tament, we refer them to 2 Tim. ii, 20, 21. 

After the apostle had named many vices which were 
practiced by men* he says: " But in a great house, there 
are not only vessels of gold and of silver ; but also of wood 
and of earth, and some to honor* and some to dishonor. If 
a man, therefore, purge himself from these, (the crimes 
just named), he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, 
and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every 
good work." 

Here we have the same principle set forth, and hence we 
would say to you to-day, my friends, if you wish to be ves- 
sels of honor, prepared for heavenly glory, purge yourselves 
from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and endeavor to per- 
fect holiness in the sight of God. 

But we will now consider the scripture which we read at 
the commencement of this discourse, 
21 



242 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

" Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scat- 
tered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and 
Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the 
Father, through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience, 
and sprinkling of the Mood of Jesus Christ," 1 Pet, i, 1, 2. 

Notwithstanding this passage of Scripture does prove the 
doctrine of election, yet it does not prove the doctrine of 
unconditional, eternal election and passing by, for the follow- 
ing reasons : 

1. They were elected through the sprinkling of the 
blood of Christ, but they could not have been thus sprinkled 
before they were born. 

2. They were elected through a sanctification of spirit 
unto obedience, or by having their spirits set apart to obedi- 
ence. This was a personal matter, and could not have been 
performed " before the world was made, or Adam formed.'* 

3. They were elected according to the foreknowledge of 
God. Now foreknowledge is generally understood to mean, 
knowledge of an event before it comes to pass ; hence these 
persons were elected according to a system of which God had 
knowledge before they were elected. This being so, they 
could not have been elected from all eternity ; for in that 
case, their election would have been as old as God's knowl- 
edge. There could have been no foreknowledge about it. 

4. But in the fourth place, we remark, that to elect is to 
choose ; to choose is an act ; every act implies a time when 
it is performed, and hence no act can be performed from all 
eternity ; therefore these persons were not thus elected. It 
is just as contradictory to say that the elect were chosen from 
all eternity, as to say that the world was made from all 
eternity. Should an individual assume the last position, 
you would all reply that this could not be. You would say, 
that if the world was made, it is not eternal ; and if it is 
eternal, it never was made. Just so we say in reference to 



ELECTION. 243 

election. If they were Christ's people from all eternity, 
they never were elected ; and if they were elected, they were 
not his, in this special sense, from all eternity ; but Paul 
says they were the elect of God, and hence they were not 
chosen from all eternity. 

The phrase " foreknowledge/' in the Scriptures, generally 
refers to something which God had made known before — 
hence the elect of God, in the gospel dispensation, are chosen 
according to a system of which God had given some knowl- 
edge before it was fully developed. This knowledge is found 
in various parts of the Old Testament, but particularly 
named in the thirty-first chapter of Jeremiah. In this 
chapter, God promises the new covenant, in which promise 
he says, " I will put my law in their inward parts, and write 
it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be 
my people." 

You will notice, my friends, that they were not the people 
of God at the time this knowledge was given, for, saith he, 
"they shall be my people" referring to some future time. 

Now all who were elected according to the stipulations of 
that covenant, when made, were elected according to the 
foreknowledge of God. This covenant we all understand to 
be the Gospel, or New Testament of our Lord and Saviour. 

Now that we may fully understand this matter, we will 
introduce the first elections which ever took place by virtue 
of the new covenant. This covenant never could be ratified 
while the old covenant stood, and hence Christ took it out of 
the way, nailing it to his cross. But as Christ was to be the 
mediator of this new covenant, it never could be in full force 
until he appeared, with his own blood, in the presence of 
Gocl, for all who should become the elect of God according 
to that new institution ; hence said Jesus to his disciples, 
" tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endowed with 
power from on high." 



244 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

According to this command, after the Lord ascended, 
* they returned into Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, 
which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath-day's journey. And 
when they were come in, they went up into an upper room," 
where about one hundred and twenty of the disciples re- 
mained together, waiting for this super-human power, by 
which they should know that their Lord was crowned, the 
covenant sealed, and all things were ready to commence this 
great work of election. 

While they were thus in one place, with one accord, " sud- 
denly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing 
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were 
sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like 
as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all 
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other 
tongues as the spirit gave them utterance." 

By this divine power, the apostles were enabled to speak 
to the understanding of all present. They pointed out to 
them the wickedness of their former conduct, and proved by 
testimony which they could not doubt, that God had raised 
the same Jesus w T hom they crucified, from the dead, and 
made him both Lord and Christ. " Now when they heard 
this, they were pierced in their hearts, and said unto Peter, 
and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren what shall 
we do?" 

These very persons had long been the people of God, 
nationally, by virtue of the old covenant, but they now saw 
that that covenant was done away ; that they could claim 
nothing upon its principles ; that they had sinned egregiously 
in rejecting and crucifying the Lord of glory ; and that 
unless they could obtain pardon, and become the elect of 
God, by virtue of the new covenant which God promised by 
the prophet Jeremiah, they must be miserable forever. 
Overwhelmed with these awful reflections, and pierced in their 



ELECTION. 245 

very hearts, they cry out, " Men and brethren what shall 
we do?" 

My friends, will you hear the answer of these newly in- 
spired witnesses of our divine Lord ? hear it, and let it 
sink deep into every heart. "Repent and be baptized 

EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, FOR 
THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE 
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. ° ° ° S 

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; 
and the same day there were added unto them, (that is, 
unto the elect of God), about three thousand souls." 

Thus, my friends, on that day were about three thousand 
persons elected according to the foreknowledge of God the 
Father, that is, according to a plan of which God had knowl- 
edge before it was sealed by the blood of his Son. And we 
now say to you, one and all, that you may all become the 
elect of God on the same terms. God is not a respecter of 
persons ; all who will, may come and take the waters of life 
freely. 

Having now seen that the scriptures which are generally 
relied on to prove the doctrine of unconditional and eternal 
election, have no reference whatever to that doctrine ; that 
they treat of other subjects ; and that consequently that 
doctrine has no support in the oracles of eternal truth, we 
shall proceed to offer a few arguments in favor of the views 
which we entertain on this subject, and then close this dis- 
course. 

1. The first argument we shall offer to prove that all men 
may be saved, is drawn from the parable of the talents, re- 
corded in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew. Commencing 
at the fourteenth verse, we read as follows : " For the king- 
dom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who 
called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. 
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to 



246 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

another one ; to every man according to his several ability ; 
and straightway took his journey." We are informed by 
this witness of our divine Lord, that " after a long time the 
Lord of these servants cometh and reckoneth with them." 
Unto two of them he said, "enter into the joy of thy Lord;" 
but concerning the third he said, "take the talent from him, 
and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be iveeping 
and gnashing of teeth" 

Now we ask, why was this difference made ? Was it because 
the Lord of these servants had from all eternity chosen two 
of them to be participants of his joy, while he passed by the 
other ? No, my friends ; the difference in their condition 
was made upon a more righteous principle. It was because 
the first occupied until their Lord came. They were busily 
engaged in doing his will ; and hence he said unto them, 
" well done, good and faithful servants. You have been 
faithful over a few things, I will make you rulers over many 
things" But the other buried his Lord's money in the earth, 
and spent his time in idleness ; he did not obey his Lord, 
and hence he w^as declared to be a wicked and unprofitable 
servant, and for this wickedness he was cast into outer dark- 
ness. 

Now, all this means something ; and we ask, what is it 
intended to teach ? The Saviour answers : " The kingdom 
of heaven is like unto" this. That is, this represents God's 
manner of dealing with the children of men. All are his 
servants ; he has made of one blood, all nations that dwell 
upon the face of the whole earth. And he has given to all 
talents to be occupied in his service ; and all who do occupy 
according to his will, shall enter into eternal joys in heaven ; 
while those who " refuse and rebel, shall be destroyed, for 
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." 

2. Our second argument is the fact that salvation is offered 
in the Scriptures to all. When the angel appeared to the 



ELECTION. 247 

shepherds in Bethlehem's fields, he said unto them "fear not, 
for behold we bring you good tidings of great joy, which 
shall be unto all people. v 

This has reference to the great salvation offered in the 
Gospel, which Christ had now come to prepare ; and from 
the language of the angel, it is certain that God designed 
that this salvation should be offered unto all people. But if 
a part of the human family had been passed by in the coun- 
cils of grace, and in consequence of that fact, they could 
have no part in this salvation, I ask, how could the Saviour's 
birth be good news to all people ? 

When the Lord had finished the work of teaching and 
suffering which he came to do, just before he ascended up on 
high, he said unto his disciples, " thus it is written and thus 
it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the 
third day ; and that repentance and remission of sins should 
be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning at 
Jerusalem," Luke xxiv, 46, 47. " Go ye into all the world 
and preach the Gospel to every creature ; he that belie veth 
and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not 
shall be damned/' Mark xvi, 16. From these scriptures you 
see, that it is the will of God, set forth in the command of 
Christ his son, that the glad news of salvation should be 
preached among all nations, and to every intelligent crea- 
ture ; that repentance is enjoined upon all, and remission of 
sins promised to all who obey. 

Now if there is a portion of our race for whom this salva- 
tion was never provided, then this whole procedure is nothing 
but solemn mockery. It would be more consistent with the 
character of the good Lord, for him to steal away the elect 
from our world, and take them to glory, without letting 
those whom he passed by, know that any beings in the uni- 
verse fared better than they. But, instead of this, angels 
are dispatched from the high courts of glory, to announce 



248 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the glad news of salvation to men, assuring them that it was 
to be unto all men : and we find the Saviour enjoining no 
secrecy upon his disciples on this subject ; nay, he even com- 
mands them to proclaim the glad news among all nations, 
and to all people ; and hence we conclude that all may 
become the elect of God, and enjoy this salvation if they 
will. 

3. Our third argument is drawn from the mercy and 
goodness of God. That the Lord God is abundant in mercy 
and goodness, is taught throughout both Testaments. 

Now, my friends, what would you say of a father who 
would make ample provision for all the wants of a part of 
his children, and pass by the rest while in a state of help- 
lessness, and leave them to starve in his sight ? You would 
all condemn him as a monster in human form. And shall 
we attribute such conduct to the merciful Lord ? God has 
made of one blood all nations that dwell on the face of the 
whole earth ; and shall we say that he has provided for all 
the spiritual wants of a part of this great family, and that 
he has passed by the remaining portion, and left them to 
perish in their sins, without providing any means for their 
recovery ! ! That he has made no provision for their salva- 
tion, but that they are left to perish as a matter of dire neces- 
sity ! All the finer feelings of the human heart revolt at 
the very thought. It can not be that God has thus dealt with 
his creature, man. His mercy and goodness forbid such an 
idea. 

4. As a fourth argument, we state the fact that Christ died 
for all. In proof of this declaration we read the following 
scriptures : " We see Jesus who was made a little lower 
than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with 
glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste 
death for every man," Heb. iii, 9. " For there is one God, 
and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ 



ELECTION. 249 

Jesus, who gave himself a ranson for all to be testified in 
due time/' 1 Tim. ii, 5, 6. " If any man sin, we have an 
advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he 
is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but 
also for the sins of the whole world/' 1 John ii, 1, 3. " We 
thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead ; and 
that he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth 
live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and 
rose again," 2 Cor. v, 14, 16. 

From these scriptures it is clear that Christ died alike for 
all men ; and hence we come to the irresistible conclusion 
that all may receive the same benefits from his death, on the 
same terms. If some may obtain remission of sins and 
adoption into the family of God by faith in the blood of 
Christ, all may. If the blood of sprinkling which Christ 
shed on Calvary, speaketh better things than the blood of 
Abel, it speaks these better things for all. If it speaks 
pardon for any, it speaks pardon for all, on the same terms. 

5. We argue in the fifth place, that all may come to Christ, 
obtain pardon, and thus become the elect of God, from the 
fact that the invitations of the Bible embrace all mankind. 
God says, '* look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the 
earth," Is. xlv, 22. "Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye 
to the waters, and he that hath no money coine," Is. lv, 1, 
2, 3. "As J live saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the 
death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way 
and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will 
ye die, house of Israel," Ez. xxxiii, 11. " Come unto me 
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you 
rest," Matt, xi, 28. " In the last day, that great day of the 
feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let 
him come unto me and drink," John vii, 37. " The Spirit 
and the bride say, come ; and let him that heareth say come; 



250 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and let hini that is athirst, come ; and whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely/ 7 Rev. xxii, 17 

You must see, my friends, that these invitations embrace 
all men. The ends of the earth are invited, by which we 
understand the vilest of the vile ; the wicked are invited ; 
the weary and heavy laden are invited ; the thirsty are in- 
vited ; and whosoever will come are made welcome to come 
and take salvation's waters without money, and without price. 
You can not imagine any class or condition of men who are 
not fully embraced in these invitations, excepting the lost. 

Now if there are some of our race for whom these bless- 
ings were never intended, then has God mocked the miseries 
of men, by inviting them to come and partake of blessings 
which he determined they never should enjoy. Who — who 
is prepared to bring such an accusation against the Lord of 
hosts ? Who is willing to face the Lord Jehovah, with such 
an imputation upon his lips ? 

6. But in conclusion, we remark, that the fact that God 
has appointed a day of general judgment, goes to establish 
the doctrine for which we are now contending. When Paul 
stood in the midst of Mars Hill, before the Athenian Areo- 
pagus, he said, " God hath appointed a day in which he will 
judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he 
hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men 
in that he hath raised him from the dead/' Acts xvii, 31. 
And Christ and all his apostles teach that we shall be judged 
according to our works. 

The Saviour says, "all that are in their graves shall 
hear his voice and come forth; they that have done good, unto 
the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto 
the resurrection of damnation." How can this be reconciled 
with the doctrine of eternal and unconditional election 
and passing by? If the eternal destiny of all men was 



ELECTION. 251 

unalterably fixed before the beginning of time, why judge the 
world ? Why does the good Lord teach us that we shall all 
be rewarded or punished according to our works, if our 
eternal doom was predetermined before we were born ? God 
has not thus delt with his creature man. His promises and 
threatenings are all made in sincerity ; they mean what they 
say, and shall all be realized by every one according to his 
works. To those who by a patient continuance in well doing, 
seek for glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal 
life ; but unto those who are contentious, and obey not the 
truth, but obey unrighteousness, he will give tribulation and 
wrath. (See Rom., second chapter). 

Let all those then who have named the name of the Lord, 
be careful to depart from iniquity. let us give all diligence 
to make our calling and election sure. Let us be careful to 
do his commandments, that we may have a right to the tree 
of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

And to those who have not submitted to the law of Christ, 
we would say, come. You may all become the elect of God 
by faith and obedience. then, fly to the Saviour while you 
may. Eepent of all your past sins, forsake the evil of your 
ways, confess the Lord and Saviour before men, and be bap- 
tized in his holy name, and arise to walk in newness of life, 
and thus be added to the number of God's elect ; and then 
go on to add to your faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, 
patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, that an 
admittance may finally be administered unto you into the 
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 



SERMON X. 

BAPTISM. 

Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name 
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. Acts ii, 38. 

When I commenced writing discourses for this book, I 
hardly expected to have a sermon on baptism in it. My 
only reason for hesitating on the subject was, the fruitful- 
ness of the theme. To discuss the subject of baptism at 
full length would require an entire book, of larger dimen- 
sions than this volume. How, then, could I think of writing 
a discourse of a few pages upon a subject requiring such 
extensive investigation? My object in publishing this 
little volume is to do good ; hence, I desired to fill a great 
portion of its pages with matters pertaining to the order, 
piety and practice of Christians, and to the conversion of 
sinners. But, as baptism occupies a very prominent place 
in the gospel, and stands intimately connected with several 
subjects herein discussed, and as many brethren, whose 
judgments merit respect, think that the book should con- 
tain at least one discourse on this important ordinance, I 
have consented. But my design is to abridge and condense, 
as much as I possibly can, to do the subject anything like 
justice. 

I have called baptism an important ordinance, and to this 
no one surely will object. An ordinance ordained by Jesus 
(252) 



BAPTISM. 253 

Christ, by whom, and for whom, the universe was made, 
and by whom all things consist, must be important. Hence 
it is, that this subject has engaged the pens, the heads, and 
the feelings of the purest hearts, and the most towering 
intellects among the sons of men. May I not, then, in my 
humble way, say something upon the subject for the benefit 
of those who have not the means nor time to obtain and 
examine larger works upon this ordinance ? 

The subject of baptism seems naturally to divide itself 
into three heads — namely, the subject, the action, the de- 
sign. Then I propose the following as the order of this 
discourse : 

I. Show who is, according to the New Testament, a pro- 
per subject of baptism — w^ho may of right be baptized. 

II. Show what is the proper action, or mode of baptism ; 
the thing to be clone when a person is baptized. 

III. Speak of the purpose and design for which persons 
are to be baptized. 

I. According to this order, let us now proceed to examine 
into the proper subject of baptism. And here we are met 
with differences of opinion and practice, at the very com- 
mencement of our investigation. Some contend that a 
believer in Jesus Christ only is a proper subject for baptism, 
while others hold that the infants of believing parents may 
and ought to be baptized. The former is our view — the 
latter is the view of many of our highly-respected religious 
neighbors. I believe that some baptize infants whether 
their parents are believers or not. 

Now, this is no small difference of opinion, and the dif- 
ference of practice growing out of these two views of the 
subject is very great. Now, as baptism is an ordinance of 
divine appointment, we should be very certain that we ob- 
serve it according to the will of God ; our will should not 
be consulted in the case. 



254 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

That we are right in our views and practice, on this 
point, so far as Ave go, is admitted by all. That a true' 
believer in Christ is a proper subject of baptism, no one 
denies ; but some of our good neighbors go farther, and say 
that infants also should be baptized, and charge us with an 
omission of duty for neglecting the baptism of our little 
ones. Now, we all ought to desire to know the truth on 
this point. If our neighbors are correct, we must be living 
in sin, as individuals, and as a church, for neglecting so 
important a duty. But if we are right, our neighbors are 
wrong, and must surely be guilty before the heavens for 
performing so solemn an act in the awful name of Father, 
Son and Holy Spirit, which God has never authorized ! 0, 
what a solemn thought. 

Now, occupying the position we do, we have nothing to 
prove — our views being admitted ; but those who go fur- 
ther, and practice infant baptism, stand on controverted 
ground ; hence, the burden of proof falls on them. They 
say they are right; we doubt it, and call for the proof, and 
they are bound to give it. Well, they give what they con- 
sider evidence sufficient to justify them in the practice, and 
also to bring us to yield the point, and adopt their practice. 
But it is our province to carefully examine their proofs and 
arguments, which we will now proceed to do as briefly as 
possible. 

1. " Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come 
unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt, 
xix, 14. This scripture is often referred to as favoring 
infant baptism ; but why it should be, I can not tell, since 
baptism is not mentioned in the text nor in the context. 

Is it argued that they should be baptized because Jesus 
said, of such is the kingdom of heaven ? We answer, that 
no person was ever commanded, either by Christ or his 
apostles to be baptized because he was fit for the kingdom 



BAPTISM. 255 

of heaven. But is it argued that as the Saviour mani- 
fested so much regard for them, they should be baptized? 
I answer, his example only shows that parents should highly 
esteem their children, and "bring them up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord." But is the proof in the ex- 
pression, " forbid them not to come unto me " ? So I have 
heard it argued. Say they, Jesus says, " Suffer little child- 
ren to come unto me/' and how can they come to Christ in 
any other way than in baptism ? And, strange as it may 
appear, after some of these very teachers say that there is 
no other way for an infant to come to Christ except in 
baptism, they will treat very lightly the idea of an adult 
coming to Christ in baptism ! If we should call on sinners 
to come to the Lord in baptism, they would say that we 
trust in water for salvation. 0, consistency ! thou art a 
jewel. 

The coming to Christ, however, named in this scripture, 
was not a moral coming, and hence it is said, they brought 
" little children to him, that he should put his hands on 
them and pray." V. 13. Yes, they were not brought to be 
baptized, but that Jesus might touch them and bless them ; 
" and he took them up in his arms, and put his hands upon 
them, and blessed them." Mark x, 16. Now, shall we 
conclude, that because Jesus embraced and pronounced a 
blessing upon children while he was here in person, there- 
fore we may — nay, ought to — baptize unconscious babes at 
the present time ? If he had intended this to be done, he 
surely would have given plainer instruction than this upon 
the subject. This proof text then fails to sustain the 
practice. So we remain as we were. 

2. Christ said to Peter, " Feed my sheep, and feed my 
lambs." John xxi, 15, 16. This address to Peter has been 
pressed into the service of infant baptism ; but it will re- 
quire some explaining to enable the reader to see the point 



256 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

in the argument. Those who use this argument reason 
thus : The fold of Christ is the church ; the sheep are the 
adult members, and the lambs are their children. Then it 
is assumed that the church is the right place to feed the 
sheep and their lambs — hence, the lambs must come into 
the church in order to be fed. But baptism is the door into 
the church, therefore infants must be baptized. I admit 
that this is a very circuitous argument — that it is going a 
long way round to get a little proof; but such as it is, you 
now have before you. 

Now, before this argument proves anything at all in favor 
of the practice under consideration, it must be assumed that 
those who are regarded by the Lord as his sheep, are such 
by nature, and that, therefore, their offspring are his lambs 
by their natural relationship to their parents ! Or, will it 
be argued that the children of Christians are born Chris- 
tians ? Then they need not be born again in order to 
inherit the kingdom of God ! It will not do to say that 
they are to be baptized to constitute them the lambs of the 
fold, for that would destroy the whole argument. The 
Lord did not say, Make sheep and lambs, and- then feed 
them. 

How often have I heard those who do not baptize their 
infants, charged with feeding and taking care of the old 
sheep, while they leave the dear little lambs out in the 
desert, without food, and exposed to all the beasts of prey 
that prowl through the wilderness of sin. And then they 
will turn round and say that these same children are all 
sinners by nature, totally depraved, and subject to the 
wrath of Gocl ! ! 

No, dear reader, no person is regarded as one of the 
Lord's sheep — as belonging to the fold of Christ, the flock 
of God — who has not been born again— " born from above, 
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruntible, by the word 



BAPTISM. 257 

of God, which liveth and abideth forever." 1 Pet. i, 23. 
And the sheep mean Christians of age and experience, and 
the lambs mean young converts, who have just enlisted in 
the cause of Christ, and who are capable of being fed with 
the " sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby." 
1 Peter ii, 2. Infants are not capable of being thus fed, 
and therefore they are not referred to in this command. 

3. The apostolic commission has been pressed into the 
service of infant baptism. Jesus said : " Go ye, therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matt, 
xxviii, 19. Now, say our friends, here is a command to 
baptize all nations, and infants constitute a portion of the 
nations ; and hence, those who only baptize adults, fail to 
comply with the whole command, and are therefore guilty 
of the sin of omission. 

But the Saviour also said, Teach all nations, and hence 
they are guilty of the same sin, according to their own 
showing, for not teaching the infant in its mother's arms, 
the great principles of Christianity. But the fact that saps 
the very foundation of this argument, is that the teaching 
goes before the baptizing, and hence, no man is authorized 
by this command of Christ to baptize any person who has 
not first been taught the way of salvation through the death 
of Christ. 

But when our friends have seen the leanness of this argu- 
ment, they have taken shelter in the original. They say 
that /jLadrjreudare, which is here translated teaching, means 
to disciple, or make disciples ; and that this is to be done 
by baptizing them. But what does this word disciple mean ? 
Webster defines it thus : " A learner, a scholar, one who 
receives, or professes to receive instruction from another ; 
2, a follower, an adherent to the doctrines of another." 
When used as a verb, he defines it : " to teach, to train or 
22 



258 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

bring up ; 2, to make disciples, to convert to doctrines or 
principles." Then no one is a disciple of Christ until be 
becomes a learner, and professes to receive the teaching and 
instruction of Christ ; and no one is capable of being disci- 
pled until he is capable of being converted to the doctrine 
or principles of Christ, or of his holy religion. Then, and 
only then, may they be baptized according to the great 
commission given to the apostles. Bat I must not dwell. 

4. The language of Peter, uttered on the day of Pente- 
cost, to encourage the condemned, weeping multitude, when 
overwhelmed with guilt, has been thought to favor infant 
baptism. " The promise is unto you and to your children, and 
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call." Acts ii, 39. Because Peter said the promise is 
to your children, immediately after commanding them to 
be baptized, it is supposed that children should be bap- 
tized. But he did not say the command is to your children, 
but the promise. And even if he had so said, unconscious 
babes could not have complied with it, for they were com- 
manded to repent, as well as to be baptized, which infants 
could not do. 

I suppose that all will admit that the promise here re- 
ferred to was the promise made to Abraham — " In thy seed 
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Gen. xxii, 18. 
By saying this promise was to them, he meant those then 
present ; by their children, he meant their descendants ; 
and by all that are afar off, he meant the Gentile world. 
Nothing, then, in favor of infant baptism yet. 

5. Household baptisms are next appealed to for evidence 
in favor of infant baptism. This argument stands thus : 
Whole households were baptized : we suppose there were 
infants in these families, and if there were, they were 
baptized — and if they were baptized, infants ought to be 
baptized now. This is giving the argument all that is 



BAPTISM. 259 

claimed for it, for no one will say positively that there were 
infants in these families. They only suppose that there 
were, because we often find families with infants in them. 

Now, we take the other side of the question and say, we 
suppose there were no infants in these families ; and if 
there were not, then infants were not baptized on these 
occasions ; and if infants were not baptized then, infants 
ought not to be baptized now. Thus, the reader will see 
that so far we stand on equal ground. We each have one 
supposition, two ifs, and one conclusion. 

Now, let us examine these cases, and see whose supposi- 
tion, ifs, and conclusion, the facts favor most. There are 
only three of these cases, namely : the household of Lydia, 
of the Jailor, and of Stephanus. In the case of Lydia, all 
the probabilities are against the idea of there being any 
infants in her household, which the reader will easily see 
by examining the case carefully, as it is recorded in the 
sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Lydia was 
of the city of Thyatira, which was some three hundred and 
fifty miles from Philippi ; she was a seller of purple, for 
the manufacture of wdiich article the women of Lydia, the 
province in which Thyatira was situated, were celebrated. 
She seems to have been sojourning in Philippi at this time 
for the purpose of selling her merchandise, and of course 
had her house of temporary abode. 

Now, it is not reasonable that she would have been cum- 
bered with small children while thus engaged. This fact 
is in favor of our supposition. 

But she appears to have had no husband. No mention 
is made of her husband in the whole history of the case. 
She appears to be the sole governess of the house. She 
said to Paul and Silas, " If ye have judged me to be faith- 
ful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there." If 
she had had a husband, she should have said, Come into 



260 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

our house, and abide. But she said my house, which shows 
that she had the supreme control of her household affairs. 
This fact, then, is opposed to the idea of there being any 
infants in her family. 

But, at the conclusion of the chapter, it is said that 
" they entered into the house of Lydia, and when they had 
seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed." 
Then, the members of her household were brethren, capa- 
ble of receiving comfort from the advice and instruction 
of the apostle, which shows beyond a doubt that they were 
not infants. 

Let us now look at the jailor's household. After this 
family was baptized, it is said, " he brought them (Paul 
and Silas) into his house, and set meat before them, and 
rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." V. 34. 
Then this entire family rejoiced ; they all believed in God ; 
hence, there were no infants in this household. 

We next turn to the household of Stephanus. In 1 
Corinthians, i, 16, Paul informs us that he baptized this 
family. In 1 Corinthians xvi, 15, he says that this house- 
hold was " the first fruits of Achaia ;" so they must have 
been baptized on the occasion named in Acts xviii, where 
it is said, that many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, 
and were baptized. In 1 Corinthians xvi, 15, Paul says, 
that this household had " addicted themselves to the min- 
istry of the saints." Now, according to the chronological 
notes which Dr. A. Clarke has placed at the head of the 
chapters in his Commentary, it was only two years from 
the time that the Corinthians believed and were baptized, 
to the writing of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. I 
ask, then, could there have been any infants in this family? 
Could infants, in two years from their baptism, have gained 
such notoriety by their benevolent contributions to the poor 
saints, as to have merited an apostolic commendation? 



BAPTISM. 261 

Surely not All the facts, then, in this case, stand opposed 
to the supposition that there vvere infants in this hou&ehold 
at the time of their baptism. 

Then the reader will perceive, that all the facts and cir- 
cumstances, in every case where family baptisms are 
named, are in favor of our supposition, and hence, that 
they afford no evidence whatever, in favor of infant 
baptism. 

6. 1 Corinthians, vii, 14, has sometimes been brought 
forward in favor of infant baptism : " For the unbelieving 
husband is sanctified by the wife ; and the unbelieving wife 
is sanctified by the husband ; else were your children un- 
clean : but now are they holy." It is true that baptism is 
not named in this connection ; hence the unprejudiced must 
consider the advocates of the practice we are now examin- 
ing, hard pressed for proof, when they resort to this passage 
for evidence to prove infant baptism. This argument is 
short, and runs thus : Infants are holy, and therefore should 
be baptized. 

But John Wesley says they are unholy, and therefore 
ought to be baptized! How doctors will differ ! In reply 
to this argument, I need only say, that no person is ever 
commanded to be baptized because he is holy : holiness is 
never required in the gospel as a prerequisite in order to 
baptism. Thus, this argument falls. 

7. Circumcision is made an argument in favor of infant 
baptism. This argument has many points in it. It is 
rather a three-fold argument, but still it is easily broken, 
when brought to the touch of Bible truth. It runs thus : 
The covenant on which the Jewish church and the Christian 
church are organized, is the same covenant ; hence, the 
Jewish church and the Christian church is the same church. 
Infants were members of the church, under the Jewish dis- 
pensation, and therefore they should be members of the 



262 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

church under the Christian dispensation. Infants were 
initiated into the Jewish church by circumcision, and bap- 
tism came in the room of circumcision ; therefore, infants 
should be initiated into the Christian church by baptism. 

The reader must be ready to say, this is going a long 
way for a little proof. So it seems to me, and there is no 
proof in it, at last. 

If the reader will turn back, and carefully peruse the 
first sermon in this book, I need say but little more to him 
in reference to the identity of the Jewish and Christian 
churches ; nor in reference to the identity of the old and 
new covenants. To show that these congregational organ- 
isms are not identical, I will only add one argument to 
what will be found in the discourse just referred to. Of 
those who were baptized on the day of Pentecost, it is said, 
" they eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. 
And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be 
saved : or, as John Wesley renders it, " the Lord added 
daily to the church those who were saved." Now all these 
belonged to the Jewish national church ; and yet they were 
formally added to the Christian church, which shows as 
clear as a sunbeam, that these two are not one. 

In reference to the covenants on which these churches 
were organized, Paul reasons thus : " For if that first cov- 
enant had been faultless, then should no place have been 
sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he 
saith, behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will 
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with 
the house of Judah. ° ° e In that he saith, a new 
covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which de- 
cayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." Heb. viii, 
7-13. Yes, it has vanished away, and all its rites and cere- 
monies, circumcision and all, are gone with it, unless 



BAPTISM. 263 

reenaeted in the new institution. But we find no such 
enacting clause. 

On another occasion, Paul reasons thus : " It is written 
that Abraham had two sons ; the one by a bond-maid, the 
other by a free woman. But he who was of the bond- 
woman was born after the flesh ; but he of the free woman 
was by promise. Which things are an allegory ; for these 
are the two covenants : the one from Mount Sinai, which 
gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is 
Mount Sinai, in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which 
now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jeru- 
salem which is above, is free, which is the mother of us 
all. ° * ° ° Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are 
the children of promise. But, as then, he that was born 
after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the 
spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the 
scripture ?" Beader, attention : hear what the scripture 
says: "Cast out the bond-ivoman" And is this all ? No. 
" Cast out her son" also, "for the son of the bond-ivoman shall 
not be heir with the son of the free-woman. So, then, 
brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of 
the free." Gal. iv, 22-31. 

Here is a fair, full, and complete refutation of the whole 
theory and practice of infant church-membership, and 
infant baptism. 

In this allegory, according to Paul's reasoning, Hagar, 
Abraham's bond-woman, represents the old covenant, and 
Ishmael represents the adherents of that covenant, or the 
members of the Jewish national church, built upon that 
covenant. Sarah represents the new covenant ; and Isaao 
is a figure of the adherents of the new covenant, or the 
members of the Christian church organized upon it. As 
Ishmael, " who was born after the flesh," that is, according 
to the natural course of things, persecuted Isaac, who was. 



264 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

by promise, produced above the ordinary laws of nature — 
so the members of that old Jewish church, in Paul's day, 
persecuted the members of the Christian church. But the 
apostle asked the question, " What saith the scripture?" 
The answer is, "Cast out the bond-woman and her son, for 
the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son 
of the free-woman." That is, cast out the covenant and 
its adherents ; cast out the constitution, and all the mem- 
bers of that national church which was organized upon it. 
Yes, cast them all out, for the two shall not inherit to- 
gether. That is, the members of the old Jewish church 
shall not become members of the Christian church, because 
of their relation to the old covenant, or its ceremonies. 

" So, then," says Paul, u we are not children of the bond- 
woman, but of the free." We, Christians, do not belong to 
the old covenant ; we were not produced by it ; but " we, 
as Isaac was, are the children of promise," brought forth 
by the new covenant, and stand upon it. Our title rests 
not in flesh and blood. 

Now, how any one can, after reading Paul's reasoning 
in this 4th chapter of Galatians, contend for infant mem- 
bership in the church of Jesus Christ, I can not tell ; but it is 
still more strange how they can go to the old covenant and 
Jewish kingdom, for evidence in favor of their practice, 
after reading Paul's arguments against it. I say Paul's 
arguments against it ; for the arguments of the apostle, in 
Hebrews and Galatians, were especially designed to show 
that these two covenants were not the same, and these 
churches were different organisms, so much so, that the 
members of the former should not be heirs with the mem- 
bers of the new, unless they be born again. 

As to circumcision, I will only say, that the Bible no 
where says that baptism came in its stead. This should 
satisfy every honest person, who desires to be governed by 



BAPTISM. 265 

the will of God. If baptism came in the stead of circum- 
cision, why did not the Lord, or some one of his apostles say 
so ? This would have set the question at rest forever. If 
baptism came in the stead of circumcision, then it does for 
its subjects all that circumcision did for its subjects. Cir- 
cumcision secured to all its subjects a title to the promised 
land, the land of Canaan. Does baptism do that for its 
subjects? Circumcision was only adminstered to males; 
where then is the law for baptising females ? Do you say, 
in the New Testament ? Then you give up the old coven- 
ant, and, to be consistent, should give up your circumcision- 
argument with it. 

Paul says, " If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you 
nothing," Gal. v, 2. What shall we say then of those who 
reoeive this ordinance as a Jewish rite ? as circumcision in 
a different form ? But he goes still farther and says, " I 
testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor 
to do the whole law." Then, if baptism is the same rite in 
another form, all who are baptized are under obligation to 
comply with all the rites and ceremonies of the law of 
Moses ! Who is prepared for this ? 

But all the Jews who had been circumcised, were baptized 
when they believed in Christ. Then, to carry out the 
example, all who have been baptized in infancy, should, 
when they come to years, and believe in Christ, be baptized 
again. This is an important suggestion, and I hope it will 
not be passed over lightly. Let it be remembered, that all 
who baptize infants, profess to do it by the authority of the 
covenant made with Abraham ; hence, their children are 
baptized by virtue of the same law that the children of the 
Jews were circumcised, and for the same purpose. My 
dear reader, were you thus baptized? Then you have 
become a debtor to do the whole law ; Christ has profited 
23 



266 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

you nothing, while you remain where you are. But every 
child of Abraham who had been thus circumcised, when he 
believed in Christ as the Son of God and the Divine Saviour, 
renounced his old church standing, confessed his faith in 
Christ, and was baptized by His authority. Now, should 
not all follow this example ? Having begun in the flesh, 
let them now be made perfect by the spirit. 

But in conclusion, none of the apostles ever used the fact 
that baptism came in the room of circumcision, against the 
Judaising teachers, who were saying, that except the Gentile 
converts be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, they 
could not be saved. This certainly would have been the 
most effectual way of settling that dispute. Had the 
apostles said, now brethren, you are correct in your views 
of the importance of circumcision, but then, the Lord has 
changed this rite into baptism, and hence, these Gentile 
brethren have all received circumcision in its new form ; 
how satisfactory such an argument would have been to all 
parties, had it been true. But the apostles never thus 
reasoned with these Judaisers ; and why ? Because they 
knew that no such charge had been made. They knew 
that these were two distinct ordinances, belonging to 
different covenants, and designed for very different purposes. 
Hence, instead of adopting the argument just alluded to, 
they attempted to convince these teachers, that circum- 
cision, and the covenant to which it belonged, and by which 
it was regulated, had accomplished their purposes and died. 

Thus it is seen, that all the arguments used to sustain 
the practice of infant baptism fail, and consequently, that 
there is no authority in the Bible for any such practice. 
This, of itself, is enough to make us hesitate, reflect, and 
even doubt the propriety of baptizing our children in 
infancy. Indeed, it is hardly necessary to offer arguments 



BAPTISM. 267 

against a practice in religion, for which there is no scripture 
authority. Still we are asked why we do not baptize our 
children ; hence, I will give a few brief answers to this 
question. 

1. There is no precept for it in all the writings of the 
apostles and prophets of the Old and New Testament. 

To this it is replied, 

1. There is no plain command for female communion, 
and yet we practice it. But what does this prove? Suppose 
there is no authority for female communion, and that we 
are wrong for practicing it ; will that prove that infants 
ought to be baptized ? Two wrongs never made one right. 

But I do not admit that there is no authority for female 
communion. Let any one come as near proving the right 
of infants to baptism, as I can come to proving the right 
of females to the communion, and I will yield the point. 

In the first chapter of Acts we are informed, that after 
the ascension of Christ, the disciples returned to Jerusa- 
lem, and went into an upper room, where all the apostles 
abode, who " all continued with one accord in prayer and 
supplication, ivith the women, and Mary, the mother of 
Jesus." V. 13, 14. "The number of the names together 
was about one hundred and twenty." V. 15. Now, here 
we have one hundred and twenty disciples together, and 
among them are Mary, and other women. " And when 
the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one 
place." Acts ii, 1. That is, the one hundred and twenty, 
among whom are Mary and other women. "And they that 
gladly received Peter's word, were baptized, and the same 
day there were added unto them about three thousand 
souls." V. 41. That is, about three thousand were added 
to the one hundred and twenty. " And they continued 
steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in 
breaking of bread, and in prayers." V. 42, Thus the 



268 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

whole three thousand one hundred and twenty, women and 
all, continued in the breaking of bread, or in the commun- 
ion of the Lord's Supper, and hence Christian women may 
do the same now. 

In the eleventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul gives 
special directions to the church, in reference to their devo- 
tional exercises, pointing out the duties of men and women, 
and closes by telling them the manner in which they should 
observe the Lord's Supper. There is no change in the 
address, so that all the advice in reference to the supper, 
applies to the women as well as to the men, showing that 
all were to partake. Here, then, is authority for female 
communion. 

But it is replied, secondly, that infant circumcision had 
been enjoined, and practiced, and as baptism came in its 
stead, no such command was necessary. 

But I answer, first, that we have just seen that there is 
no evidence that baptism did come in the room of circum- 
cision ; and that the facts, purposes and designs connected 
with these rites, show that such is not the case. Secondly, 
I reply, that adult circumcision was also enjoined and prac- 
ticed, under the law ; and hence, for the same reason, adult 
baptism need not to have been commanded — and yet it 
was. But, thirdly, the gospel was preached among the 
Gentiles, and thousands of them received it. These people 
had not lived under the law, and therefore had never been 
taught on the subject of circumcision, hence they should 
have been taught infant baptism, if the Lord intended it 
to be practiced. So this reply to our first reason for not 
baptizing infants, falls to the ground, and our reason still 
stands good. 

2. Our next reason for our practice is, that there is no 
plain example of infant baptism in all the New Testament. 
When children are directly interested in an event recorded 



BAPTISM. 269 

in the apostolic writings, they are generally named. 
Example : " And they that had eaten, were about five thou- 
sand men, besides women and children." Matt, xiv, 21. 
"And they all brought us on our way, with wives and 
children." Acts xxi, 5. " But when they believed Philip, 
preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and 
the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men 
and women." Acts viii, 12. What a beautiful place this 
would have been to put in children. And I ask, if they 
baptized the children, why are they not named ? Was it 
of more importance to the world to know that children 
were miraculously fed, than to know that they were bap- 
tized ? Was it of more interest to the church, as well as 
to the family of man generally, to know that children ac- 
companied Paul, when he left the city of Tyre, a short 
distance, than to know that it is God's will that they should 
be baptized ? No, dear reader, the only rational reason 
that can be given for the silence of the apostles on this 
subject, is that no cases of infant baptism occurred under 
their administration, and hence none are recorded. 

3. My third reason for not baptizing infants— or, if you 
please, my third argument against the practice — is deduced 
from household baptisms. Yes, strange as the reader may 
think, I see strong arguments in these household baptisms 
against infant baptism. We have, in the New Testament, 
an account of the preaching of the apostles and evange- 
lists, for about sixty years — in all Judea, Samaria, and 
among the Gentiles, throughout the then civilized world — 
but during all this labor, and, travel, and preaching, for so 
long a time, we only read of three, or at most, of four 
cases, of whole families being baptized. Hence, it must 
have been a very unusual occurrence, and therefore, the 
divinely authorized penmen recorded these cases. If they 
had been in the practice of baptizing the infants of believing 



270 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

parents, with the parents, we should have had household 
baptisms all the time ; whereas, there are but three cases 
clearly stated. It is said, that " Crispus believed on the 
Lord, with all his house f } but it is not said that they were 
baptized — though they no doubt were — and if so, we have 
four cases, and only four, in all the New Testament, of 
household baptism. Now, I have baptized more whole 
families than this, with my own hands, and yet I never 
baptized an infant in my life. 

4. We do not baptize our infants, because if we do, and 
make that valid, and then practice the " one baptism" we 
would take from our children the privilege of personal 
obedience to the command to be baptized. And who can 
express the real, heart-felt happiness, that is realized in 
obeying God in this institution, with an enlightened judg- 
ment, for myself — without any sponsors, or god-father, or 
god-mother, between me and the great Head of the church. 
This joy no one ever realizes, who relies upon his infant 
baptism. 

5. Baptism does the child no good. Beader, would it 
do an adult any good to be baptized when sound asleep ? 
Surely not. But how much more does the infant know of 
its baptism, than the man asleep? 

6. But in conclusion on this point, the law of baptism 
authorizes the baptism of believers only, and thereby vir- 
tually forbids the baptism of any others. " Go/ said 
Jesus, " go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be 
saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 
xvi, 15, 16. Believers, then, are to be baptized according 
to this law, and to baptize any others is going beyond law, 
and acting on our own responsibility. This we are not 
willing to do, lest we should be asked in the last day, who 
hath required this at your hand? and be found speechless. 



BAPTISM. 271 

I know that it has been said, that if we refuse to baptize 
infants, because they can not believe, then we must hold the 
doctrine of infant damnation ; for the Saviour said, "he that 
believeth not shall be damned." 

But we are not trying to settle a controversy with the 
Almighty. We are only investigating the arguments for 
and against infant baptism. That this law authorizes the 
baptism of believers, must be admitted by all. And if it 
teaches the damnation of infants, we are not accountable for 
it. But the Saviour did say, " he that believeth not shall 
be damned. r And how do the advocates of infant baptism 
get out of the difficulty ? They say that if infants can not 
believe, they are not embraced in this declaration, and are 
therefore saved through the merits of Christ, without faith. 
Very well. Now, just add, and without baptism also, and 
you will have it precisely right. No, reader, the Gospel was 
to be preached to those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, 
and hearts to understand and believe. And those who do 
believe with all their hearts, and none others, are to be 
baptized. 

II. Having now ascertained who may be baptized, we 
proceed to examine the action of baptism. Or, as it is com- 
monly termed, the mode of this ordinance. This is also a 
controverted point. Good and great men have different 
views as to the thing to be done when persons are baptized. 
Some say that the subject of this ordinance should be im- 
mersed in water ; others say the water should be sprinkled 
on the subject ; while a third class contend for pouring the 
water. The two views last named, however, differ so little, 
that the friends of each make a common cause of it, and 
give their mode of baptism a common name, that is, affusion. 
So we need only consider these two actions, immersion and 
affusion. 

1. First, let us look at the arguments adduced in favor of 



272 THE FAMILY COMPANION 

sprinkling and pouring ; for on the subject of immersion 
there is no dispute ; all admit the validity of that mode. 
Hence the course of argument pursued by the advocates of 
affusion, is rather singular. They first admit that baptism 
by immersion, all other things being equal, is valid. But 
then they say that this is not the only valid mode ; that 
affusion is also valid. Then, having assumed that affusion 
is a mode of baptism, their future course of argumentation, 
is to make it appear that persons were baptized in the days of 
the apostles under circumstances which rendered immersion 
impossible, and hence, in these cases, they conclude it must 
have been performed by affusion. 

1. The first case of this sort that I will notice, is the 
number baptized on the day of Pentecost. Here, say they, 
were three thousand persons baptized in one day, or in a 
part of a day. Now T , says the arguist, it would have been 
impossible to immerse so many persons in so short a time, 
hence they must have been baptized by sprinkling or pour- 
ing. But this is taking for granted the very thing to be 
proven, namely, that affusion is a mode of baptism. I have 
so far used the phrase mode of baptism, simply because our 
friends on the other side of this question use that form of 
expression. We wish it, however, to be distinctly understood 
and remembered, that there is no such form of speech in the 
New Testament. Hence, we do not adopt the phrase as our 
own ; we discard it, as without authority, and only use it in 
accommodation to those whose practice we are examining. 
With this explanation let us return to the subject. 

Three thousand could not have been immersed on the day 
of Pentecost : therefore they must have been sprinkled. But 
suppose sprinkling is not baptism, then what follows ? But 
let us examine the case. There were twelve apostles present 
on this occasion ; all authorized to baptize. Now divide 
three thousand by twelve, and we have two hundred and 



BAPTISM. 273 

fifty persons for each one to baptize. Peter's address com- 
menced about nine o'clock, A. M., for he said, " it is only 
the third hour of the day." The Jews divided the day into 
twelve equal parts, calling each an hour. So when the days 
were long, their hours were long, and when the days were 
short, their hours were short. So the third hour of the day 
was the middle of the forenoon, say nine o'clock A. M. Now 
suppose Peter preached — shall I say one hour ? From all 
that appears in the account given in Acts, second chapter, 
we would not suppose that his speech lasted more than thirty 
minutes. But to give all the weight to the argument, that 
any one would ask, we will suppose that three hours were 
spent in preaching and arranging for this baptism. This 
leaves six hours in which to baptize. Well, two hundred 
and fifty divided by six, gives forty-one and a fraction, the 
number for each to baptize per hour. Now, where is the 
impossibility? Surely one person can immerse forty-two 
persons per hour. 

But it should be remembered that there were eighty-two 
ordained preachers somewhere. Is it not likely they were 
all present on this interesting occasion ? Where would you 
expect to find the seventy preachers whom Christ ordained, 
but among the hundred and twenty that were " all in one 
place with one accord ? ?; And would they not have engaged 
in the work of baptizing if circumstances required it? 
Eeason says they would. This, then, would only have given 
thirty-six and a fraction, for each one to baptize during the 
six hours ; a little over six to the hour. So this mighty 
impossibility vanishes into thin air, when we make the proper 
calculation. 

2. The next example which is supposed to present a diffi- 
culty in the way of immersion, and therefore to favor affu- 
sion, is the baptism of Saul, afterward called Paul. It is 
assumed that he was baptized standing on his feet, and 



274 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

therefore could not have been immersed ; and hence, he must 
have been baptized by sprinkling or pouring. 

This whole argument rests on the fact that Ananias said 
to him, 'iarise and be baptized.'' Acts xxii, 16. But this 
fact does not prove that he was baptized standing. Indeed 
this very circumstance is in favor of his immersion ; for he 
could have been sprinkled without arising, but he could not 
have been immersed without it. This is going to the wrong 
place to find sprinkling. 

But Paul tells us how he was baptized. He says, "we 
have been buried with Him by baptism," Eom. vi, 4. I put 
buried in the the past time, because sunetapheemen is in the 
aorist, which " expresses a transient past action." Here 
Paul uses the personal pronoun of the first person, plural 
number, we. The first person denotes the speaker : Paul 
was the speaker. So, then, Paul and all his brethren at 
Eome, " were buried by baptism." This puts the question at 
rest — Paul was buried, or immersed, when he was baptized, 
he himself being witness in the case. 

3. The baptism of the Israelites unto Moses, is supposed 
to favor affusion. Paul says, they " were all baptized unto 
Moses in the cloud and in the sea," 1 Cor. x, 2. But in the 
history of the case it is. said, " they passed through the Eed 
sea as by dry land/ 7 Heb. xi, 29. Here, say they, is a case 
of dry land, or dry shod baptism. Then to make out the 
case, they suppose that the cloud rained upon them, or that 
the spray from the heaps of water on either side fell upon 
them, and this is what Paul calls a baptism. In proof of 
the first supposition, Ps. lxvii, 17, is referred to: "The 
clouds poured out water ; the skies sent out a sound ; thine 
arrows also went forth." 

1 . But I answer first, that if this heavy rain fell while 
the Israelites were passing through the sea, it could not be 
said that " they went into the midst of the sea upon the dry 



BAPTISM. 275 

ground" for the rain would have wet the ground. Exodus 
xiv, 22. 

2. This cloud was not a raining cloud. It was a cloud of 
darkness unto the Egyptians, but it gave light to the Isra- 
elites. Ex. xiv, 20. It was doubtless of the nature of the 
fiery cloud that Moses saw in the burning bush. 

3. But this mighty storm occurred after the Israelites 
had passed over ; and while the Egyptians were following 
them. Then it was, that " with the blast of thy nostrils the 
waters w^ere gathered together. 7 ' " Thou didst blow with 
thy wind, the sea covered them." Ex. xv, 8, 10. 

As to the second supposition, that the spray from the 
walls of water fell upon them, this was impossible, for they 
were frozen. Moses says, " the depths were congealed in 
the heart of the sea." Ex. xv, 8. 

Now I do not believe that one drop of water touched the 
hosts of Israel, while passing through the Eed sea. Paul 
says, " they were under the cloud and passed through the 
sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in 
the sea," 1 Cor. x, 1, 2. So the cloud and sea were both 
employed in their baptism, " The waters were a wall unto 
them, on their right hand, and on their left," Ex. xiv, 22. 
And the cloud was over them, so they were completely cov- 
ered up, and concealed from the view of their enemies. 
Thus being completely overwhelmed by the cloud and sea; 
at the same time, taking Moses for their commander and 
leader, Paul calls it a baptism unto Moses. 

4. The baptism of the jailer and his family, has been sup- 
posed to afford some evidence in favor of affusion. To make 
this appear, it is first asserted that they were baptized in 
the house ; and then it is supposed that they could not have 
been immersed in the house, hence they must have been 
baptized by sprinkling or pouring. Now, no one, I am sure, 



276 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

will say that this is not a fair representation of the argu- 
ment. 

1. To this I answer, first, that even if they were baptized 
in the house, this would not prove that they were not im- 
mersed. Baths for bathing were common in that country. 
I have baptized in a house, and did it by immersion too. 

2. But they were not baptized in the jailer's house, as I 
will now show. It seems the house in which the keeper of 
the prison resided, was so connected with the prison, that the 
jailer could see from his room that the prison doors were 
open. Paul could also see into the jailer's room, for when 
he was about to kill himself, " Paul cried with a loud voice, 
saying, do thyself no harm, for we are all here, ;; Acts xvi, 
28. " Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came 
trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought 
them out." Verses 29, 30. 

Now I ask, where were they ? In the jailer's house, for 
it is said, " they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and 
to all that were in his house" Verse 32. "And he took 
them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, 
and was baptized, he and all his, straightway." Verse 33. 
Now, where did he take them? I answer, out of the house; 
for after this he " brought them into his house, and set meat 
before them." Verse 34. Now, it is impossible to bring a 
person into a house tivice, without his going out once. Paul 
and Silas were brought into the jailer's house once ; there 
they preached until the people believed. Then they were 
taken, had their stripes dressed, and baptized these converts, 
and then were brought into this house again. And the 
reader will notice that the baptizing was clone between the 
first and second time that they were brought into this house. 
Then the baptizing was not done in the house, and so the 
argument falls, if it be lawful to call it an argument, 



BAPTISM. 277 

But, I ask, why take them out of the house, if this bap- 
tism was to be performed by sprinkling ? This whole pro- 
cedure looks very much like our practice. We preach to 
the people in the house until they believe, and desire to 
obey the Lord. Then we take them to where there is water 
sufficient, and baptize them, and then they return to their 
house, and rejoice, believing in God. 

To these plain facts it has been objected that, if Paul 
and Silas had been out to the river baptizing folks that 
night, they acted hypocritically next morning, when they 
refused to go out without a legal release. But let it be 
remembered that the charge to the jailer was, " keep them 
safely." This he did, and even while he was being bap- 
tized, Paul and Silas were in his custody. They did not 
go out that night — they were taken, and that by the keeper 
of the prison himself. 

5. Heb. ix, 10, has been employed in favor of baptism by 
affusion. Speaking of the Jewish institution, Paul says it 
" stood in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and car- 
nal ordinances imposed on them, until the time of reforma- 
tion." Now, I know it will require a good deal of explain- 
ing to get the reader to see any argument in this scripture 
in favor of the practice which I am considering. But we 
wish to give the argument its full force, and therefore will 
explain. The word which is here translated ivashings, is 
baptismois in the original — divers baptisms. The Jews 
sprinkled on various occasions. Hence, it is supposed that 
when Paul here speaks of their divers baptisms, he refers 
to these sprinklings. Now, this is the whole argument, 
fairly explained. 

1. My first reply to this is, that the Jews also practiced 
divers immersions, or bathings, and who knows but that 
Paul here refers to them ? I should think this is the most 
likely. At least this fact destroys the argument. 



278 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

2. But I reply, secondly, that Paul refers to the Jewish 
sprinklings in the context, thus : " For if the blood of bulls 
and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the 
unclean," etc., v. 13. Now, what word is here employed? 
When the apostle speaks of these Jewish sprinklings, does 
he use the word baptismois ? No, gentle reader, he here 
employs the word rantizousa, from rantizo, which means to 
sprinkle. Now, if by baptismois, in the tenth verse, he 
meant Jewish sprinklings, I ask, in the name of reason and 
Christian candor, why did he drop that word, and adopt the 
word rantizousa, when he names these sprinklings ? This 
fact refutes the whole argument — if it deserves the name 
of argument. 

3. But in conclusion, on this point, I state the fact that 
Dr. McKnight, with all his predilections in favor of sprink- 
ling, translates baptismois, in this case, immersions. 

6. The next argument employed to sustain sprinkling, 
which I will notice, is taken from spiritual baptism. Jesus 
said to his disciples, " Ye shall be baptized with the Holy 
Ghost, not many days hence." Acts i, 5. Now, the Holy 
Spirit is often spoken of as being poured out, and shed 
forth upon the people. This is said to be the fulfillment 
of the above promise. So, when persons are baptized with 
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is poured upon them. Now, say 
our friends, water baptism should be performed in the same 
way — that is, the water should be sprinkled or poured upon 
the subject. 

1. My first answer to this is, that when the impartation 
of the Holy Spirit is called a baptism, it means more than 
the ordinary reception of the Spirit. Before Jesus made 
the promise quoted above, " He breathed upon them, and 
said, Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost." John xx, 22. But still 
they were not baptized with the Spirit. This promise was 
fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, which was, doubtless, tho 



BAPTISM. 279 

day referred to ; the Lord said, " Ye shall be baptized with 
the Holy Spirit not many days hence." When they were 
baptized according to this promise, " they were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues 
as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts ii, 4. 

This same kind of baptism was performed upon the Gen- 
tiles at the opening of the gospel kingdom to the Gentile 
world. Hence, it is said ; " While Peter yet spake these 
words, the Holy Ghost fell on them which heard the word. 
And they of the circumcision which believed were aston- 
ished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the 
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost; 
for they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify 
God." Acts x, 44, 45, 46. This miraculous gift of the Holy 
Spirit, Peter afterwards called a baptism, when he said : 
" Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he 
said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be bap- 
tized with the Holy Ghost." Acts xi, 16. Thus it is clear, 
that when the gift of the Holy Spirit is called a baptism, 
it means more than the enjoyment of the Spirit as a com- 
forter. It is an overwhelming of the whole person with the 
miraculous influence of the Spirit. It was not the manner 
of the Spirit's coming that is called baptism ; but the 
bringing of the whole person — soul, body and spirit — under 
its influence, after it had come. This Spirit was in heaven, 
and had to descend before the disciples could be baptized 
with it. I have often baptized persons with water that was 
poured out, or shed forth, or sprinkled down, but it was not 
the sprinkling that baptized these persons, but it was my 
putting them under, or immersing them in the water after 
it had come down, that constituted the baptism. 

2. But my second reply is, that the preposition in the 
Greek is en, which literally means in — " Ye shall be bap- 
tized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence." Then if 



280 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

water baptism must be performed in the same way, persons 
must be baptized in water, which clearly indicates an im- 
mersion. 

7. " So shall he sprinkle many nations." Isaiah lii, 15. 
" Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall 
be clean." Ezekiel xxxvi, 25. These scriptures are referred 
to as affording strong evidence in favor of baptism by 
sprinkling. In reply to the first, I notice : 

1. That the particle so shows the manner of doing the 
thing that is here called sprinkling. And to what does 
that little word refer ? Head what goes before : "As many 
were astonished at thee ; (his visage was so marred more 
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men) ; 
so shall he sprinkle many nations." Now, reader, don't you 
see something very awkward in this ? How is it, that by 
having his visage and form so marred, and bruised, and 
beaten, he could sprinkle the nations? You see this 
sprinkling is not to be done with water, but by having his 
form thus marred. 

Now, instead of sprinkle, read astonish, and the difficulty 
is removed, and the passage harmonizes with itself, and 
with the facts referred to in this prophecy. 

So Taylor Hinton understands the word, and says, in 
reference to the common version : u This is entirely a mis- 
translation — the Hebrew word signifying to astonish, star- 
tle, or surprise, as when a man has water suddenly dashed 
into his face." — Sis. Bap., p. 159. The sense of the pas- 
sage is, that many should be astonished at the sufferings 
of Christ, when they consider how his visage is marred, 
even more than any of the sons of men. 

2. In reference to the passage quoted from Ezekiel, I 
have only to say that it has not yet been fulfilled. It refers 
to the Jews alone, and refers to the time when they shall be 
gathered to the land of their fathers. Dr. Clark comments 



BAPTISM. 281 

upon this passage thus : " Then (at the time of this 
great restoration) will I sprinkle clean water upon you. The 
truly cleansing ivater ; the influence of the Holy Spirit 
typified by water, whose property is to cleanse, ivhiten, 
purify, refresh, render healthy and fruitful" At the close 
he says ; " I do not ask my reader's pardon for having con- 
sidered this most beautiful chapter as relating not to the 
restoration from the Babylonish captivity, but to the 
redemption under the new covenant by Jesus the Christ." 
Thus it appears that these scriptures have no reference to 
Christian baptism whatever. Indeed, they are never re- 
ferred to by the New Testament writers in connection with 
this ordinance. 

When, by the edict of Herod, the children in all the 
coasts of Bethlehem were slain, it is said, " Then was ful- 
filled that which was spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet, 
saying, In Kama was there a voice heard ; lamentation, and 
weeping, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her 
children, and would not be comforted, for they were not." 
Matt, ii, 17, 18. "And he came and dwelt in a city called 
Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
the prophet, He shall be called a Nazarene." Matt, ii, 23. 
" For these things were done that the scripture should be 
fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And, again, 
another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they 
pierced." John xix, 36, 37. "And they crucified him, and 
parted his garments, casting lots ; that it might he fulfilled 
which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments 
among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots." 
Matt, xxvii, 35. Thus were these inspired penmen in the 
constant habit of referring to the prophecies and noting 
their fulfillment. Why did they not thus refer to Isaiah 
lii, 15, and Ezekiel xxxvi, 25 ? Why did they not say, Then 
thev that gladly received his word were baptized, that it 
24 



282 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, I will 
sprinkle clean water upon you ? And many of the Corin- 
thians, hearing, believed and were baptized, that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, So shall he 
sprinkle many nations? Simply because they knew that 
these scriptures did not refer to baptism. 

Now, I have examined all the main arguments used to 
sustain affusion, and found them all to fail, utterly fail, to 
give any support to that theory and practice. I need, then, 
say but little in favor of immersion ; for if baptism by 
affusion is not a scriptural practice, of course immersion is, 
this mode being admitted by all. Still, that I may, as far 
as the limits allotted to this discourse will allow, do justice 
to the subject, I will present a few arguments on the affirm- 
ative side of this question. 

1. The places where baptism was performed indicate im- 
mersion to have been the mode. " Then went out to him 
(John) Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the regions round 
about, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their 
sins." Matt, iii, 5, 6. "And John also was baptizing in 
Eanon, near to Salem, because there was much water there" 
Now, if baptism was performed by sprinkling a few drops 
of water upon those baptized, why put the people to the 
trouble of going to rivers and places of much water ? Why 
do we find John, the Baptizer, lingering about the Jordan ? 
Aye ! and baptizing them in the Jordan ? The only ra- 
tional answer is, his baptism was an immersion. 

I have been astonished to hear some preachers of the 
Methodist Episcopal church try to make it appear that John 
did not baptize in the river, but only at the river, when 
their book of Discipline, in the baptismal service, requires 
the minister to pray, saying : " By the baptism of thy well 
beloved son Jesus Christ, in the river Jordan, didst sanctify 
water for this holy sacrament." Thus it would seem, 



BAPTISM. 283 

according to this creed, that Christ was not only baptized in 
Jordan, but that, by placing his sacred person in the waters 
of that river, all the waters on the face of the broad earth 
were sanctified, and set apart to the use of baptizing. Still 
these preachers fly in the face of their own creed, and say 
that John did not baptize in Jordan ! To make this appear, 
these preachers quote John i, 28 : " These things were 
done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was bap- 
tizing." Bat by a careful analysis of this scripture it will 
be seen that John did not baptize beyond Jordan, but that 
Bethabara was beyond Jordan. This will appear plain by 
the following questions and answers : 

Q. What things were these ? 

A. Levites and priests asked John many questions con- 
cerning his character and mission. 

Q. Where were these things done ? 

A. In Bethabara. 

Q. Where was Bethabara? 

A, Beyond Jordan. 

Q. At what point on Jordan ? 

A. The place where John was baptizing. 

Bethabara is generally believed to have been a house on 
the further bank of Jordan, opposite Jerusalem, at the 
place where the Israelites crossed when they took possession 
of Canaan. 

In answer to the second scripture quoted under this item, 
it is said that John held a very large meeting at Eanon, 
on this occasion, and that he sought a place of much tvater, 
for the accommodation of the people and their beasts during 
the protracted meeting ! 

But it is not said that John preached at Eanon because 
there was much water there; but he baptized in Eanon 
because there was much water there. The much water is not 
named as the reason for their being ihere y but as the reason 



284 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

for baptizing there. Then baptism required much water, 
and therefore must have been immersion. 

2. Persons, when baptized, are said to go down into the 
water, and come up out of the water. See Matt, iii, 16; 
Acts viii, 38. These circumstances are all in favor of im- 
mersion. Why go down into the water to be sprinkled? 
I once heard a preacher say, that he had taken persons 
down into the water, and there baptized them by affusion. 
But, I ask, why did he go into the water ? Because the 
subject would not be satisfied without it. But why was this 
so ? Because they read in the Holy Scriptures : " They 
went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, 
and he baptized him." Had these persons never read in 
the good book of persons being baptized in the river, and 
of their going into the water to be baptized, they never 
would have desired to go into the water. And had not 
their judgments been misled by their teachers, they would 
not only have gone into the water, but they would have been 
immersed in the water. 

3. Baptism is called a planting. " If we have been 
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be 
also in the likeness of his resurrection." Bom. vi, 5. Now, 
when we plant a grain of corn, we always cover it up. On 
this verse, Dr. McKnight makes the following remark : 
i; The burying of Christ and of believers, first in the water 
of baptism, and afterwards in the earth, is, fitly enough, 
compared to the planting of seeds in the earth, because the 
effect in both cases is a reviviscence to a state of greater 
perfection." How this good and great man could have 
practiced sprinkling after penning this sentence, I can not 
tell, unless he acknowledged the right of the church to 
change the ordinance. 

4. Persons baptized are said to be buried. " Therefore 
we are buried with him by baptism." B,om. vi, 4. " Buried 



BAPTISM. 285 

with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him, 
through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised 
him from the dead." Col. ii, 12. 

Now, I ask, in what sense can sprinkling or pouring 
water upon a person be called a burial ? This should settle 
the question forever. Still, men will cavil. Hence, it has 
been said that the burying referred to in Col. ii, 12, can 
not mean water baptism, because they are said to be raised 
by faith, whereas, in baptism, they are raised by the hands 
of the administrator. But if the reader will look again, 
he will see that Paul does not say they were risen by faith, 
but they were risen with him, through faith. ' Faith quali- 
fies the rising. A person might be buried in the water a 
thousand times, and raised up as often, and, without faith, 
he would not be buried with Christ, nor raised with him. 
Faith brings Christ and the believer in near alliance ; so 
that when he is baptized, having evangelical faith in Christ, 
he is said to be buried with him, and raised up with him. 
But it has also been asserted that these scriptures refer to 
spiritual baptism. What a strange creature man is ! When 
endeavoring to prove baptism by sprinkling or pouring, 
they say, spiritual baptism is always performed by affusion, 
and water baptism should be performed in the same way. 
Then, when we read in the scriptures that persons are 
buried by baptism, they turn round and gravely assert that 
this is spiritual baptism ! Truly, the legs of the lame are 
not equal. Then, according to their own showing, water 
baptism ought to be a burial also. If not, the whole argu- 
ment drawn from spritual baptism is gone. 

But, that these scriptures refer to water baptism has 
been admitted by Archbishop Tillotson, Archbishop Seeker, 
Samuel Clark, Dodridge, George Whitfield, McKnight, 
John Wesley, and a host of others, who were all affu- 
sionists. 



286 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

5. In baptism, persons are said to have their bodies 
washed. " Let us draw near with a true heart, in full 
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil 
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Heb. 
x, 22. McKnight paraphrases this, thus : "Being washed 
in body, with the clean water of baptism." And he further 
says : "jUXovfiavo:. This word is commonly applied to the 
washing of the whole body." But this could never be said 
of a person who has been baptized by affusion. 

6. The Greek church has always immersed. This fact 
speaks volumes in favor of immersion ; for though they do 
not speak the' ancient Greek language, yet their language 
comes nearer to it than any other now in use — and hence, 
they must understand that language better than any other 
people. When we find them, therefore, ever since the 
separation between the Greek and Latin churches, still 
practicing immersion, and refusing, under any circum- 
stance, to sprinkle, it should certainly be considered as 
affording no small amount of testimony in favor of the idea 
that immersion was the apostolic mode. 

7. The Eoman Catholics admit that the apostolic mode 
was immersion. But they claim the right to change ordi- 
nances to suit the circumstances of the church. 

8. That immersion was the ancient mode has been ad- 
mitted by many who practiced affusion. Let the following 
suffice : 

Mosheim. — " The sacrament of baptism was adminis- 
tered in this [first] century, without the public assemblies, 
in places appointed and prepared for that purpose, and was 
performed by an immersion of the whole body in the bap- 
tismal font." In the second century, he says : " The sac- 
rament of baptism was administered publicly twice every 
year, at the festivals of Easter and Pentecost or Whitsun- 
tide, either by the bishop, or in consequence of his authority 



BAPTISM. 287 

and appointment, by the presbyters. The persons that were 
to be baptized, after they had repeated the Creed, confessed 
and renounced their sins, and particularly the devil and his 
pompous allurements, were immersed under water, and 
received into Christ's kingdom by a solemn invocation of 
Father, Son and Holy Ghost." 

Grotius. — " That baptism used to be performed by im- 
mersion, and not by pouring, appears both from the proper 
signification of the word, and the places chosen for the 
administration of the rite, (John iii, 23 ; Acts viii, 38), and 
also from the many allusions of the apostles, which can not 
be referred to sprinkling, (Horn, vi, 3, 4; Col. ii, 12)." 
Grotius died A. D. 1645. 

Bossuet. — " The baptism of John, which served for a 
preparation to that of Jesus Christ, was performed by 
plunging. ° * ° In fine, we read not in the 
scriptures that baptism was otherwise administered ; and 
we are able to make it appear, by the acts of councils, and 
by the ancient rituals, that for thirteen hundred years, 
baptism was thus administered throughout the whole church 
as far as was possible." [In Mr. Stennett against Russell, 
pp. 175-76.] Bossuet died A. D. 1704. 

John Wesley, on Eom. vi, 4, says: "Alluding to the 
ancient manner of baptizing by immersion." 

9. My ninth argument in favor of immersion is, the 
meaning of the word employed by Christ and his apostles 
to express the ordinance. Indeed, this of itself seems to 
us to be sufficient to fix the action intended to be performed. 
For the word expresses an action, and not a mere ordinance, 
which may be performed in different modes. Hence, 
wherever I have spoken of the mode of baptism, or of bap- 
tism by affusion, or immersion, I have done it in accommo- 
dation to modern custom. As before stated, there is nothing 



288 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

like it in all the New Testament. We never read in 
apostolic writings of the mode of baptism. They always 
speak of this ordinance as a specific action. 

Baptizo, the word always employed to express this rite, 
was not originally the name of an ordinance. The Saviour 
did not first introduce this word. He found it in common 
use among the people. Hence, when he ordained this ordi- 
nance, he did not use this word because it was the name 
of a religious ceremony, but because it expressed the very 
act which he intended to be performed when persons were 
baptized. This fact seems to have been overlooked, and 
hence baptizo is regarded merely as the name of an ordinance 
which may be performed in many ways. 

Greenfield, Donnegan, and Liddell and Scott, in their 
Greek lexicons, all give dip, immerse, or submerge, as the 
first meaning of baptizo. Hence, Luther said: " Baptism 
is a Greek word, and may be translated immersion, as when 
we immerse something in the water that it may be wholly 
covered. ° ° ° Being moved by this reason, 
I would have those that are to be baptized to be altogether 
dipt into the water, as the word doth sound, and the mys- 
tery doth signify." [I quote from Hinton's History of 
Baptism.] 

G. Campbell, of Scotland, in his note on Mark vii, 3, 4, 
says : " For illustrating this passage, let it be observed, 
first, that the two verbs rendered wash, in the English 
translation, are different in the original. The first is 
wfimtrat, properly translated wash ; the second is fiajzzt- 
<~an>T€u 9 which limits us to a particular mode of washing: 
for ftg&Tt^w denotes ' to plunge/ ' to clip/ " Hence, he trans- 
lates baptizo, dipping, in the text. And, as already stated, 
Dr. McKnight translates this word immersion, in Heb. x, 
23. Why these Presbyterian doctors translated this word 



BAPTISM. 289 

immerse, when applied to other things, and rendered it 
baptism when this ordinance is referred to, I leave others 
to decide. 

George Campbell translates this word fta—i^to, immer- 
sion, in Matt, xx, 22, and makes this remark upon it : 
" The primitive signification of ^ajrua/jta, is immersion; 
of ftaxTcgeeVj to immerse, plunge, or overwhelm. The noun 
ought never to be rendered baptism, nor the verb to baptize, 
but when employed in relation to a religious ceremony." 

Here, reader, we will leave the action of baptism for 
your careful consideration, hoping you will weigh well what 
we have said. 

III. According to the order proposed, I will now say a 
few things in reference to the design of baptism. This is 
a very important item. If I am to be baptized, I should 
know the object. Indeed, all the importance that attaches 
to the ordinance at all, is derived from its design. 

1. Baptism may be regarded as a profession of faith in 
Christ, First, we believe with the heart that Christ is the 
Son of God ; that he died for our sins ; that he was buried, 
and that he rose again the third day. Then, when we are 
baptized, we show our faith in these facts, by a death to 
sin, a burial in baptism, and a rising to walk in newness of 
life. 

2. By baptism we come out from the world ; we cross 
the line that separates between them that serve God and 
them that serve him not. 

3. By baptism we enter into covenant with God, and 
take our stand with his people ; so that we " are no longer 
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, 
and of the household of God." 

4. By baptism we come into Christ, into his mystical 
body, and thus take his yoke, or government, upon us. 
Hence the apostle says, " Know ye not that so many of us 

25 



290 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

as were baptized into Christ, were baptized into his death ?" 
Bom. vi, 3. And again : "Ye are all the children of God, 
by faith in Christ Jesus ; for as many of you as have been 
baptized into Christ, have put on Christ" Gal. iii, 26, 27. 

5. But I will go one step further, and say, that baptism 
stands in the gospel as institution of pardon. 

I do not mean by this, that baptism pardons sin. Nor 
do I mean that baptism merits pardon. But I mean that 
God has appointed baptism as an ordinance in which we 
publicly give up ourselves wholly to the Lord, and in doing 
which he, of his own free grace and mercy, forgives our 
past transgressions. Hence, baptism may justly be regard- 
ed as one of the gospel terras of remission. 

There were many institutions of pardon under the old 
covenant. The sin-offering was an ordinance of this kind. 
In certain cases the law said, concerning the man who had 
sinned : " He shall confess that he hath sinned in that 
thing, and shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord, 
for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, 
a iamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin-offering ; and the priest 
shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. He 
shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering upon the side 
of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be rung out at 
the bottom of the altar ; it is a sin-offering ; and the priest 
shall make an atonement for his sin which he hath sinned, 
and it shall be forgiven him." Lev. v, 6-10. Thus it is 
clear that this was, not an institution that pardoned, but an 
institution of pardon. When a person sinned, and complied 
with this ordinance, the law declared him pardoned; but if 
he refused to obey the Lord in this institution, his sin re- 
mained upon him — he could not be pardoned according to the 
law in the case. 

The yearly national atonement was an institution of the 
same sort ; and so, also, was the law concerning the scape- 



BAPTISM. 291 

goat. In obedience to these, the nation obtained a legal 
remission ; but when they neglected them, the disapproba- 
tion of heaven rested upon them. Such, reader, is the 
ordinance of baptism. These old institutions, however, per- 
tained to the flesh, but baptism to the conscience. Hence, 
Peter says of baptism, that it is "not the putting away of 
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience 
toward God." 1 Pet. iii, 21. 

But when we say baptism is " for the remission of sin," 
some of our religious neighbors become awfully alarmed, 
and begin to tell frightful tales about sick and dying per- 
sons who can not be baptized, and therefore must go to 
hell. Then they imagine cases of persons in some sandy 
desert, where there is no water ; here they die of hunger 
and thirst. They may here repent and pray, but all in 
vain — baptism is impossible, and therefore they must sink 
to everlasting torment. But in all this, they forget that 
He who gave the law is above all law, and can do as he 
pleases with his own. But if we intimate that God may, 
perhaps, extend his mercy beyond the terms prescribed in 
the gospel, and save a person so situated, then they turn 
round with an air of triumph, and say, if one sinner can be 
pardoned without baptism, then all sinners may be ! Mighty 
logic, this! If God would save a man without baptism, 
where the only reason for his not being baptized is a physi- 
cal impossibility — he being perfectly willing and anxious to 
do the will of God as far as is in his power, therefore he will 
pardon and save a man who knows the law of God, and all 
things are ready and convenient for him to obey, but he 
willingly, and willfully, of his own choice, refuses to be 
baptized ! 

Eemember, reader, I have not proposed to show what 
God will not do, in all the various cases that might be 
imagined. This is not the proposition before us. " Secret 



292 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

things belong unto God ; but those things which are re- 
vealed belong unto us, and to our children forever, that we 
may do all the words of this law." Deut. xxix, 29. My 
object is not to show what may be obtained and enjoyed in 
any case without baptism ; but to show what baptism is for. 
I have said it is an institution of pardon, and I now proceed 
to give the proof: 

1. My first proof is drawn from John's baptism. I know 
that this was not the Christian baptism — or, if you please, 
was not performed under the Christian dispensation — still, 
as John's was a preparatory work, the design of his bap- 
tism may throw some light upon this. Concerning John 
and his mission, we have the following declarations : "And 
he shall go before him (the Lord) in the spirit and power 
of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just ; to make 
ready a people prepared for the Lord." "And thou, child, 
shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest ; for thou shalt 
go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways — to give 
knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of 
their sins." Luke i, 16—76, 77. 

From these scriptures, it is seen that John was — 

1. To prepare the way of the Lord. 

2. To prepare a people for the Lord. 

3. To give the knowledge of salvation by the remission 
of sins. 

How, then, did he do these things ? I answer, by preach- 
ing and baptizing. John may be regarded as sent out 
into the wilderness to prepare materials for the Lord's 
house. But no person could be placed in this spiritual 
temple whose sins were not forgiven. Therefore, some 
materials had to be prepared beforehand, with which to 
commence the building — to organize with. This, then, 
was John's work, and as remission was to be one of the 



BAPTISM. 293 

special blessings under the new covenant, when it went into 
operation, those whom John prepared for the Lord, should 
obtain remission in the same institution, so far as the action 
of it is concerned, in which persons were to obtain remission 
during the whole lifetime of that covenant. Thus it was that 
while John prepared a people for the Lord, he prepared the 
Lord's way at the same time. 

But how could John give the knowledge of salvation by 
the remission of sins? Answer: " John did baptize in the 
wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the 
remission of sins," Mark i, 4. Hence he baptized the peo- 
ple for the remission of sin. Understanding this, and be- 
lieving that John was sent from God to do this very work, 
for this very purpose, when they obeyed the Lord in this 
ordinance, they had all the knowledge that the word of God 
could give ; that their sins were forgiven. That John was 
sent of God to baptize, and that the Lord required the people 
to be baptized, is clear ; for, " all the people that heard him, 
and the publicans justified God, being baptized with the 
baptism of John. But the pharisees and lawyers rejected 
the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized 
of him," Luke vii, 29, 30. But they could not reject the 
counsel of God by not being baptized of John, unless God 
had enjoined this baptism ; nor could they have justified 
God in being baptized, but on the same principle. Dr. 
George Campbell renders it thus: "by receiving baptism 
from him, (John), they honored God." 

2. The apostles' commission. This is my second argu- 
ment in favor of my proposition. " Go ye into all the world, 
and preach the Gospel to every creature ; he that believeth 
and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not 
shall be darnned," Mark xvi, 15, 16. This is the most 
sublime and glorious commission that ever was committed 
into the hands of men. It extends, in its offered blessing, 



294 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

to all nations, in all lands, and in all time. It is short, but 
comprehensive. It is composed of few words, but it contains 
blessings as boundless as our sins, and as enduring as the 
throne of God. But the promise contained in this commis- 
sion, is the evidence we now adduce in favor of the doctrine 
of baptism for remission. 

"He that believeih and is baptized shall be savedP The 
salvation here promised can not refer to the final salvation 
in heaven. For even those who have thus believed and been 
baptized, are commanded to " work out their salvation with 
fear and trembling," Phil, ii, 12. There is a present 
salvation often spoken of in the New Testament. Paul to 
Timothy, speaking of God, says : " Who hath saved us and 
called us, not according to our works," etc. Here persons 
are said to be already saved. The same idea is expressed in 
Titus iii, 5 : " Not by works of righteousness which we have 
done, but according to his mercy he saved us." Notice, these 
persons are now saved. John Wesley's translation of Acts 
ii, 47, conveys the same idea. "And the Lord added daily 
to the church, those who were saved." This salvation is the 
same which is spoken of by the angel, " thou shalt call his 
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." 
Matt, i, 21. 

All who are living in their sins, unforgiven, are under 
condemnation ; the wrath or disapprobation of God rests 
upon them. But when they are pardoned, they are released 
from that guilt ; they are saved from that state of condem- 
nation ; they are made free from sin, and are therefore 
always spoken of as saved. Now it must be to this Christ 
refers in his commission to his apostles. Go into all the 
world ; proclaim the glad tidings of salvation . through my 
blood to every creature ; and as you preach, tell all the 
world, that whosoever receives your teaching concerning me, 
with all their heart, and will be baptized, shall be saved ; 



BAPTISM. 295 

shall be forgiven of all their past offenses against God's 
moral government. More than this no one should desire to 
make of this promise ; and less than this, no one should 
dare attempt. 

Thus it is seen that our proposition is sustained by the 
very commission under which all the preaching and baptizing 
done by the apostles and first evangelists was performed. 

3. As a third item of evidence in favor of the position 

that baptism is an institution of pardon, I refer to the text 

.upon which this discourse is based: "Repent and be baptized 

in the name of Jesus Christ every one of you, for the re* 

mission of sins." 

Here is the very proposition for which I am contending, 
uttered by an inspired apostle, at the very commencement 
of the Gospel kingdom. Who would ask for more testimony 
than this ? Consider the circumstances under which this 
announcement was made. The disciples had been waiting 
with most intense anxiety, for about ten days, for the 
promised Spirit They had been commissioned to preach 
the Gospel to all the nations of earth ; but forbidden to say 
one word upon the theme of salvation through the Lord's 
death until they should receive power from on high. Much 
depended upon a correct commencement. A blunder here 
might ruin the cause, and drown many souls in perdition. 
Therefore the importance of being well prepared for the 
opening of the reign of Christ on earth. what a solemn 
ten days this must have been. 

But while they are thus waiting, all of a sudden they hear 
a sound as of a rushing mighty wind ; it came rumbling 
through the heavens until it came to the place where they 
were collected,, and gathered itself into the house ; cloven 
tongues resembling fire, sit upon each of them, and they 
are all filled with the Holy Spirit, and begin to speak. Now 
the ten days' silence is broken ; now the prohibition is taken 



296 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

off; now they may tell all that Jesus has told them in 
secret ; they may tell who he is, and what he has done to 
save our fallen world. They have received the Spirit to 
guide them into all truth ; to bring all things to their 
remembrance, whatsoever the Saviour had told them, and 
to take the things of Christ and show them to these inspired 
witnesses of the Lord. They now understand all that is 
meant by that commission which we have just been con- 
sidering. Yes, and if the position which I have taken is 
incorrect, they will set it all right now; but if I have* 
taken the correct view of the promise contained in that 
commission, their teaching under its divine sanctions, will 
confirm that view. 

Well, they commence speaking in all the languages then 
present ; they first explain the miracle then transpiring 
before their eyes ; next, they preach Christ and him cruci- 
fied, referring the people to the fact, that they, with wicked 
hands, had crucified the Lord of glory. But they proceed 
to announce his resurrection, and prove it by the testimony 
of their beloved David, and by what they then saw and 
heard. They close this part of the address by saying 
" Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that 
God has made this same Jesus whom you crucified, both 
Lord and Christ." " Now, when they heard this they were 
pierced in their heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the 
apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do ? Acts ii, 36, 37. 

Truly this was a solemn occcasion, and this a momentous 
question. It comes from the heart ; yes, from hearts deeply 
penitent; from hearts pierced with the truth, burdened 
with guilt, and overwhelmed with sorrow for past sins. 
What shall we do ? O, whither shall we fly ? Is there 
no relief? And if there is, what must we do to obtain that 
relief? This seems to be the meaning of their inquiry. 

The inspired Peter speaks; or rather, the Holy Spirit 



BAPTISM. 297 

speaks by him, saying, " repent and be baptized every one 
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, 
and you shall receive the " gift of the Holy Spirit." 0, is 
this so ? may we be pardoned in this way. Yes, the promise 
made to Abraham, saying, in thy seed shall all the families 
of the earth be blessed, " is to you and your descendants, 
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our 
God shall call." 

" Then they that gladly received his w r ord w r ere baptized, 
and the same day were added to them about three thousand 
souls." There w r as no halting and caviling on this occasion ; 
no long inquiries into the whys and wherefors. The case 
required prompt action ; and they were honest ; they were 
in good earnest, and hence they obeyed, and thus obtained 
" the knowledge of salvation by the remission of sin." 

Here then, we have a practical illustration of the doctrine 
of baptism for remission of sin. And yet after all, men 
will doubt, and hesitate, and even dispute this doctrine. To 
some of the explanations given in this text for the purpose 
of evading the doctrine that baptism is one of the gospel 
terms of pardon, I must pay a little attention in 
passing. 

I. It is sometimes assumed that for — here means, because 
of, and hence, that these persons were commanded to be 
baptized because their sins were pardoned. 

I answer, first, that they were not commanded to be bap- 
tized alone for the remission of sin ; but to repent and be 
baptized And repentance and baptism are united by a 
copulative conjunction, which show r s that whatever they were 
to repent for, they were to be baptized for ; and whatever 
they were to be baptized for, they were to repent for. If 
then, they were to be baptized because their sins were 
pardoned, they w T ere to repent because their sins were par- 
doned ! Who is prepared for this conclusion ? No one, I 



298 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

am sure. All say they were to repent in order to the 
remission of sins. Then, dear reader, they were to be 
baptized for the same purpose. 

2. But I answer secondly, that we have the same form of 
expression in other scriptures, where no doubt is left as to 
the meaning. Jesus said, " This is the New Testament in 
my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

Now does not, for the remission of sins, in this passage, 
mean in order to? To this everybody says yes ! No dispute 
about it. Well, the phraseology is the same in our text ; 
why then is not the meaning the same ? I know of but 
one reason, and that is, baptism is in the sentence. Just 
take baptism out, and read it, repent for the remission of 
sins, and there would be but one view on the subject ; all 
would say, for means in order to, and this passage would 
be quoted by all classes of preachers to prove the import- 
ance of repentance in order to pardon. 

II. But a second class of objectors say, it is true that 
Peter taught the doctrine of baptism for, or in order to 
remission on the day of Pentecost, but that was intended 
for the Jews ; whereas the Gentiles were to be pardoned 
without baptism. And to sustain this view, it is said that 
Cornelius received the Holy Spirit before he was baptized, 
and the fact that he had received the spirit was made the 
reason why he should be baptized. See Acts x. 44, 47. 

1. I answer first, that we have seen under the former 
head of this discourse, that the gift of the Holy Spirit 
received by those in the house of Cornelius was an extra- 
ordinary gift, such as enabled them to speak in languages 
which they never understood before. This miraculous gift 
was designed to convince Peter, and those Jewish brethren 
who came with him, and all others, that the gospel was to 
be preached to the Gentiles, and that they should be received 
into the church on equal terms with the Jews. Hence, 



BAPTISxM. 299 

Peter said, " can any man forbid water, that these should 
not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit as well 
as we." And hence, when he was charged with doing 
wrong in this case, he said, " Forasmuch then as God gave 
them the like gift as He did unto us that believed on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God." 
Acts xi, 17. If those who oppose us never baptize any until 
they receive the Holy Spirit as these did, they will not 
baptize any one soon. 

2. I reply secondly, that "God put no difference be- 
tween us and them," (the Jews and Gentiles) "purifying 
their hearts by faith." Acts xv, 9. 

3. My third reply is, that the whole gospel scheme was 
designed to make of Jews and Gentiles " one new man, so 
making peace." Now, if, at the very beginning, the Lord 
had given two laws of pardon, one for Jews and the other for 
Gentiles, he would have laid the foundation for everlasting 
contention and strife between them ! This, the God of all 
wisdom and grace never would have done. 

III. But a third class of objectors say that the preposition 
for is translated from the Greek preposition eis, which does 
not mean in order to, but into. 

To this I reply, that this does not alter the sense. For 
to be baptized into the remission of sins, is certainly to be 
baptized into a pardoned state. 

Thus, all the objections raised against the plain, unso- 
phisticated doctrine of baptism for remission of sins, are 
removed, and the doctrine stands firm as the throne of God. 

How beautifully the language of Ananias to Saul accords 
with this view. " And now why tarriest thou ? Arise, and 
be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name 
of the Lord." Acts xxii, 16. Not that baptism would wash 
away his sins, but, that when he complied with Gods' law 
of remission, the Lord would pardon his sins. Hence, Paul 



300 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

said, " According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing 
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost/' 
Titus iii, 5. In the same sense, Peter says, " Baptism now 
saves us." 1 Pet. iii, 21. 

I might now go on to confirm this view by many of the 
most pious, learned, and orthodox commentators that have 
ever lived, but I am making this sermon too long, in spite 
of all my efforts at abridgement. And more is not necessary, 
for, if any will not be convinced with what we have now 
said, they would not be, though one should rise from the 
dead. May God help us all to love and do the truth as it 
is in Jesus. 



SERMON XI. 

WHAT SHALL I DO? 

And when he had gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to 
him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 

Mark x, 17. 

I HAVE selected the above text, not for the purpose of 
writing a sermon on the character of the Lord, who was 
called Master, and declared to be good, by this young man, 
nor to discourse upon the whole verse, but for the purpose 
of bringing before the reader's mind the simple question, 
" What shall I do?" as the theme of this discourse. 

This is a very important question, even when applied to 
the common affairs of this life, but much more so when it 
is asked in reference to life eternal. God requires service 
of his creature man ; how important is it, then, that we 
perform that service ! A question, then, having reference 
to the service which the Lord requires, to the will of God 
in reference to our manner of life, must be interesting. It 
should often be asked, What shall I do? We should make 
this question a subject of anxious thought every day, What 
shall I do for the Lord and his holy cause, this day? The 
man who never asked this question, nor reflects upon it, is 
not likely to be very efficient in the service of his God or 
his country. To do good service, we must know the will 
of God ; and to know this, we must often ask, and answer, 

(301) 



302 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

in the light of the Holy Scriptures, the question upon which 
we base this discourse. 

We have many examples of persons asking this question, 
recorded in the New Testament. One is found in the scrip- 
ture which we have placed at the head of this discourse. 
This young man seemed to be in good earnest ; he came in 
great haste, even running, and he kneeled before the 
Saviour, and, as if his whole soul was in the matter, he 
exclaimed, "Good Master, what shall I do?" 

On another occasion, we read of a great multitude, cry- 
ing out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts ii, 37. 
The Philippian jailer affords another example. He said, 
" Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts xvi, 30. When 
Saul was convinced that Jesus was the Christ, he said, 
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix, 6. Or, as 
it is in Acts xxii, 10, "What shall I do, Lord?" 

2. The interest which persons feel in the subject of sal- 
vation may generally be learned from the manner in which 
they treat the answer given to this question. In the exam- 
ple of the young man named in our text, there was not 
sufficient interest felt. No doubt he was sincere when he 
propounded this question to the Saviour. He desired to 
enjoy eternal life, and was anxious to know what was neces- 
sary for him to do in order to obtain that great blessing. 
But when Jesus said, " Sell what thou hast, and give to the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, 
take up thy cross, and follow me," he seemed to think this 
was asking too much, and hence, "he was sad, and went 
away grieved." Ver. 21, 22. He had much feeling on the 
subject, and hence he was very sorrowful ; but still, he was 
not sorry enough — or, he did not "sorrow after a godly 
manner." 

How many do we find in our day who seem honest, and 
anxious to be saved — who, when they are directed to 



WHAT SHALL I DO? 303 

renounce the follies of the world, and take up the cross and 
follow Christ, in obedience to the gospel, draw back? They 
go away sorrowful — but still they will not obey. They 
seem to say that the Lord has required too much. This 
shows that they do not feel the amount of interest in the 
subject that they should. If they did, they would be will- 
ing to give up all for Christ — they would be disposed to 
make any sacrifice that the Lord demands, in order to obtain 
eternal life. 

In the case of the three thousand, there was no hesitat- 
ing — no going away sorrowful. They felt just right on the 
subject — hence, they received the answer to the question, 
What shall we do? with great joy, and they complied 
the same day. So in the case of Saul. He felt deep in- 
terest in the subject, and therefore, when the Lord told 
him what to do, he did it at once. He says, "I w T as not 
disobedient to the heavenly vision." The same is true in 
reference to the jailer and his family. They obeyed the 
gospel the same hour of the night in which they believed. 
This shows that they did not say, What must we do ? out 
of vain curiosity — they were awfully alarmed for their con- 
dition, and they desired salvation above all things. Hence, 
the promptness with which they complied with the directions 
given. 

3. This question implies great mental agony, where it is 
sincerely propounded, with a determination to comply with 
the divine directions when given. Who can describe the 
feelings of the three thousand when they asked this solemn 
question ! " They were pierced in their hearts." They felt 
great mental anguish. So it was with Saul. What must 
have been the feelings of that man, when the Lord said 
unto him, " I am Jesus of Nazareth, lohom thou persecut- 
est?" Well might he respond, "Lord, what shall I 

DO?" 



304 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

4. This question implies great extremity. It implies 
that the person asking it has tried all the means known to 
him for the accomplishment of the proposed end, in vain; 
that all has failed, and what more to do, he knows not. All 
his schemes have disappointed him, and hence, losing all 
confidence in every earthly reliance, he exclaims, 0, what 
shall I do? 

5. This question is always regarded as a favorable symp- 
tom. It shows that there is a good degree of anxiety on 
the subject of religion. Hence, the prayer that we so often 
hear — that the cry may be extorted, Men and brethren, 
what shall we do to be saved? I have often wondered, if 
this prayer should be answered, and the cry was made, 
whether those who make the prayer would give a Bible 
answer. I fear, in many cases, they would not. 

6. The next suggestion that I will make in reference to 
this interrogation is, that it should always be answered 
according to the design of the person asking it, and the 
character and condition of the person who propounds the 
question. If a sick man asks what he must do to be cured, 
he should be answered in regard to the nature of his dis- 
ease, and the remedies necessary for his recovery. If I ask 
the way to Philadelphia, I should not be answered with 
directions teaching me how I must act when I get there. 
Now, when the three thousand asked of the apostle, what 
they should do, they desired to know what law they must 
comply with — what duty they must perform- — in order 
to obtain the remission of sins. Then all that is contained 
in the apostle's answer was to be done in order to that end. 
Reader, pause, and think of this carefully — then read the 
answer. 

Some doctors of divinity seem to think that they have 
discovered a universal remedy for all cases — a general 
specific that will apply in every stage of the disease — 



WHAT SHALL I DO? 305 

hence they give the same direction to every patient that 
applies. Faith, and faith alone, is the sovereign remedy 
that is to meet every case. It matters not what the state 
of mind may be, or what progress the applicant may have 
made, he is only told the one duty. No inquiries are made 
into the state of the case ; the same remedy is always pre- 
scribed ! 

Keader, w T hat would you say of a physician who would 
pursue such a course ? I am sure you w r ould doubt his skill 
in the healing art. And should we not be equally careful 
in reference to spiritual life ? The body is very important, 
but the soul is of much more value, insomuch that Jesus 
intimates that if a man should gain the w^hole world, and 
lose his soul in the transaction, he is infinitely the loser. 

Now I will apply the principle that every man, when he 
asks the question, ivhat shall I do? in reference to gospel 
salvation, should be answered according to his design and 
condition, to all the cases we can possibly imagine, and will 
show the proper answer to be given in every case, by exam- 
ples in the New Testament. 

1. Suppose a person who is entirely ignorant of Christ 
and his religion ; he has never heard the Gospel, and there- 
fore knows nothing in reference to the gospel plan of saving 
sinners. He has just obtained light enough to know that he 
is a sinner, exposed to everlasting ruin ; and therefore he is 
awfully alarmed, and cries out in the bitterness of his soul, 
what shall I do ? what must I do to be saved ? 

The religious teacher should then find a similar case in 
the days of the apostles, and answer him just as the apostles 
did in such a case. This would be right, for Christianity is 
the same now that it was then ; the mind of God is the same 
now that it was in the days of the apostles ; human nature 
is the same, sin is the same, and the law of remission is the 
26 



306 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

same, for we live in the same dispensation in which these 
apostles preached and taught. Hence the same instructions 
given to persons at that time, by those who spoke as the 
Spirit directed, would be applicable now to persons in the 
same state of mind and morals. 

We have just such a case as I have supposed, in the ex- 
ample of the Philippian jailer. He was a Gentile, untaught 
in the religion of either Old or New Testament. Of course, 
he knew nothing of Christ. I presume he had never before 
heard his name. Or if he had, he had only heard of him 
as one who had been crucified for blasphemy and treason. 

But, he has committed to his care, for safe keeping, two 
men, said to be teachers of the way of salvation, but who 
are charged with teaching customs not lawful for the people 
to observe. These men are confined in the dark, damp dun- 
geon, and their feet secured in the stocks. At mid-night 
they are heard singing, which always indicates a cheerful 
mind. An awful earthquake succeeds, the prison doors are 
miraculously opened, and every man's bands are loosed. 
Now, all this was well calculated to alarm the keeper of the 
prison. But when he saw that the prison doors were all 
open, supposing that the prisoners had all fled as a matter 
of course, he thought of the penalty of the law to which he 
was exposed ; and, thinking it more honorable to kill him- 
self, than to be put to death for neglect of official duty, he 
drew his sword and was about to take his own life. But 
Paul cried out with a loud voice, expressive of great concern 
for the welfare of the jailer, "do thyself no harm, we are all 
hereP 

This was well calculated to give him great confidence in 
Paul and Silas, and in the God they served ; therefore he 
brought them out of the prison into his own house, and said, 
"sirs, what must I do to be saved?" "And they said 



WHAT SHALL I DO? 307 

believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and 
thy house." That is, if you and your family believe, you 
may all be saved. 

This is the answer to which I referred when I said, some 
people give the same answer to the question under consider- 
ation, in all cases. Still, if they would carry out this 
whole example, it would not be so bad. I have heard some 
preachers quote this, " only believe on the Lord;" but it does 
not read so in the book. 

The reader will notice that the apostle did not leave this 
man at this point. He remembered the question, which he 
propounded to others : " how shall they believe on him of 
whom they have not heard ? ;? And his response was still in 
his mind : " so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by 
the ivord of God" Therefore, " they spake unto him the 
word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." Now, 
in speaking the word of the Lord, they doubtless told these 
persons that Jesus had said, " he that belie veth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved ;" for this is a part of the word of the 
Lord. But this is more than mere conjecture, for "he took 
them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, 
and was baptized ; he and all his, straightway," Acts xvi, 
25 — 32. Thus the answer and obedience closed with 
baptism. 

2. But suppose a person who does most sincerely believe 
that Jesus Christ is the son of God ; that he died for our 
sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures. 
This person is conscious that he is a sinner, exposed to con- 
demnation, and in deep anguish of soul he asks, What must 
I do to be saved ? 0, what shall I do f Shall I answer him 
just as Paul did the jailer? Surely not. I have a very 
different case before me, and hence, I must suit the directions 
to the case. Now, as an example to instruct me in this case, 
I would go to the three thousand, on the day of Pentecost. 



308 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Here are persons just as anxious to "be saved, as was the 
jailor. And their salvation is just as precious in the sight 
of God ; and yet the apostle does not tell them to believe. 
He does not say to them, " Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and you shall be saved. " He says, in answer to this 
solemn question, "Repent and he baptized, every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, 
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 
ii, 38. 

Now, the only reason that can be given for this differ- 
ence in the answer of Paul and Peter, is that they were 
addressing persons in a different state of mind. Paul was 
teaching a man who had no faith, and hence he told him 
to believe; but Peter is addressing persons who do believe, 
and hence he commences with them at reformation. I con- 
clude that they believed what Peter taught, or they would 
not have been so affected. It was when Peter said, " there- 
fore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God 
hath made this same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord 
and Christ," that they were pierced in their hearts. But 
had they not believed this proposition, it would not have 
produced this effect. But this example, like that of the 
jailer, was consummated in baptism. 

3. But let us suppose a different case from either of 
these. Suppose a person who believes in Christ, and has a 
good moral character, and is very devout and piously in- 
clined, should ask the question, What must I do to be 
saved ? What shall I do ? It would not do to tell him to 
believe, for he does believe ; and it would not do to tell 
him to reform his life, for this is acceptable. Now, can we 
find any example in the New Testament, that will suit a 
case of this sort ? 

If the reader will turn to the tenth chapter of the Acts 
of the Apostles, he will find one that just illustrates the 



WHAT SHALL I DO? 309 

case I have supposed. Here we have an account of Cor- 
nelius, of whom it is said, "he was a devout man, and one 
that feared God with all his house ; who gave much alms 
to the people, and prayed to God always." Truly this was 
a very good man. He seems to have been a proselyte to 
the Jews' religion, and hence his worship and prayers were 
all performed according to the " law of commandments 
concerning ordinances/ 7 after that law had expired ; after 
Jesus " took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." 
Therefore, he is not regarded as in a saved state, according 
to the new covenant. Hence, the angel that appeared unto 
him, said, " Send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, 
whose surname is Peter ; ° ° he shall tell thee what 
thou oughtest to do." Cornelius understood this to have 
reference to his salvation. He understood that when Peter 
came, he would give him the correct answer to the question, 
"What must I do to be saved ?" For when Peter was come, 
he said to him, " Now, therefore, we are all present before 
God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." 
And Peter so understood it, for when he returned to Jeru- 
salem, and the brethren complained of him for going among 
the Gentiles, he related the whole matter; in doing which, 
he said that Cornelius told him, on his arrival at his house, 
that " he had seen an angel, which stood and said unto 
him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose sur- 
name is Peter, who shall tell thee words whereby thou 
and all thy JiouSe shall be saved" Acts xi, 10, 11. 

Now, Peter did not state the words of the angel, as they 
stand in Acts x, 6. There it reads, " He shall tell thee 
what thou oughtest to do ;" but Peter quotes it, " He shall 
tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be 
saved. v Now this is all explained by saying, that Peter 
understood the angel as meaning, " he shall tell thee what 



310 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

thou must do in order to be saved." So, then, this good 
man was not a saved man, according to the gospel. 

But now we ask, what did Peter tell him to do, when he 
came ? What duty did he impose on him ? Does he give 
him the answer that Paul gave the Philippian jailer ? No, 
he does not say, ' ; Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved." He saw that Cornelius did believe. 
He did not say, " Repent and be baptized," as he did on 
the day of Pentecost, for he had learned all about this 
man's good character, and therefore knew that reformation 
in his case was not necessary. Hence, "he commanded 
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Acts x, 48. 

Here, then, are three cases, in which the answer to the 
question What shall I do? seems to differ. Not that one 
is told to do some things which others are forbidden to do ; 
but that more is required of some than others. This can 
only be accounted for on the principle that some had done 
more than others, before the answer is given. 

Suppose three persons are invited to partake of the 
bounties of a friend's table : one is three steps from the 
table, another is two steps, and the third is only one step 
from the board. When about to take their places at the 
table, the one that was only two steps from the refresh- 
ment, would only have to take these two steps ; he would 
not have to go back and take the first step. But the one 
that was farthest off, would have to take all the steps 
necessary to bring him to the table. And the one that 
was only one step off, would not be compelled to go back 
and take the first and second steps ; these he has taken 
before the invitation reaches him. Still, there is one step 
that must be taken in each case ; the last, or third step, 
must be taken by all who would partake of the rich pro- 
visions of this friend's board. 



WHAT SHALL I DO ? 311 

So in the examples just referred to. Let these three 
steps in the figure represent faith, repentance, and bap- 
tism. The jailer had to take all these steps, in order to 
be saved according to the gospel ; hence, in answering the 
question "What shall I do ? v the apostle commenced 
with the first step — but he never left him until he had 
taken the other two, closing the w T ork with baptism, the 
last step. The Pentecostians, having taken the first step, 
are only commanded to take the remaining two, closing 
with baptism. But Cornelius had taken the first two steps ; 
he believed, and had so reformed his life that he " was de- 
vout, gave much alms, and prayed to God always." Hence, 
he is only commanded to take the last step, closing with 
baptism. 

Thus are all these examples harmonized, and thus they 
afford much instruction to all w 7 ho desire to be saved ; and 
to all who are engaged in teaching men the way of life 
and salvation. When the soul-stirring question is pro- 
pounded, " What shall I do to be saved?" w r e should always 
inquire into the real condition of the person making the 
inquiry — learn their moral stand-point — and then answer 
them according to the examples w-hich w r e have just 
examined. 

4. But I now think of a case different from any that I 
have considered. Suppose a person who has once belonged 
to the church of God — he has taken all the steps illustrated 
in the foregoing examples, but he has bach-slid — he has 
fallen into sin — but he now sees " from whence he has 
fallen," and desiring to obtain the remission of his sins, 
and to be restored to the fellowship of the Father and his 
Son Jesus Christ, he asks the question, " What must I do?" 
Can w r e find an example in the New Testament, that will 
throw any light on this case — that will suggest the proper 
answer to be given ? 



312 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Yes, reader, we have one that just suits the case. It 
will be found in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the 
Apostles. In this chapter we have an account of the 
preaching of the gospel to the Samaritans : " Then Philip 
went down to a city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto 
them. And the people, with one accord, gave heed to those 
things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles 
which he did. ° ° But there was a certain man called 
Simon, who beforetime, in the same city, used sorcery, and 
bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself 
was some great one ; to whom they all gave heed, from 
the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great 
power of God. But when they believed Philip, preaching 
the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name 
of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 
Then Simon himself believed also ; and when he was bap- 
tized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding 
the miracles which he did." Acts viii, 5-13. 

But time rolls on. The apostles at Jerusalem heard 
that the Samaritans had received the truth, and become 
obedient to the same ; and that this new church might 
possess miraculous powers, they sent two of their number, 
Peter and John, to this city, for the purpose of imparting 
those gifts. This they did by prayer, and the laying on 
of hands. And when Simon saw that through the laying 
on of the apostles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he 
offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that 
on whomsoever I lay hand, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 
" But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, 
because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be 
purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in 
this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God." 

Now, here is just such a case as we have supposed. This 
man had believed, and been baptized ; in a word, he had 



WHAT SHALL I DO ? 313 

taken all the steps that others had done in order to the 
remission of sins, and he was numbered with the members 
of this new church. I know that some have thought, from 
the conduct of this man, that he had never been pardoned. 
But we are bound to come to one of three conclusions : 
either that the witness has not told the truth ; or that the 
promise of the Lord failed ; or that Simon was a saved, a 
pardoned man. The inspired witness says, " Then Simon 
himself believed also, and when he was baptized he con- 
tinued with Philip/' etc. He does not say that Simon pro- 
fessed to believe ; or that he hypocritically imposed on 
Philip; but, that lie himself believed; and not only be- 
lieved, but believed also; that is, believed just as the other 
Samaritans believed. And he was also baptized. Now, 
Jesus said, " he that believe th and is baptized shall be 
saved. ;? 

Now, I ask, did the witness state the truth ? You are 
bound to say he did. Then, did the promise of the Lord 
fail ? You dare not say it did. Then Simon was pardoned, 
was saved from his past sins. When persons have been 
addicted to some favorite sin before they embrace Christ- 
ianity, if they are ever led away from the good cause, it is 
likely to be by that old darling sin. 

Now this man had bewitched the people by his sorceries 

in former days, and in that way no doubt made money. 

When he saw the apostles imparting miraculous powers by 

the laying on of hands, he thought a wicked thought. He 

seems to have reasoned thus : Now, if I had such power, I 

could make a fortune. Who would not pay me a good 

price, to be enabled to speak in many languages without 

studying? or to possess the power to heal a sick man with 

a touch, or a word ? Now, I will give a good sum of money 

for the power to give such gifts, by the laying on of my 

hands, Hence, he "offered them monev, saving, Give me 
27 



314 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may 
receive the Holy Ghost." But Peter told him, that be- 
cause he had done this — had entertained this mercenary 
thought, and proposed to purchase the gift of God with 
money, that he and his money should both perish ; telling 
him, however, that so far as the impartation of these 
miraculous powers by the imposition of hands is concerned, 
he (Simon) had no part nor lot in the matter. As much 
as to say, this work belongs to the apostles alone. For, 
although Philip could do miracles himself, he could not im- 
part that power to others ; hence it was necessary for these 
apostles to come all the way from Jerusalem for this purpose. 

But Peter's pointed address, and plain reasoning, con- 
vinced him that he had done wrong, and he became very 
anxious to regain the favor of God, and to obtain the re- 
mission of his sin. Here then is just such a case as we 
have supposed. 

Now, what did the apostle tell this man to do ? Re- 
member, we have the same inspired Peter here, whose 
teachings we have heard on two other occasions ; w r e have 
heard his answer to the question under consideration on the 
Pentecost, and at the house of Cornelius. We have seen 
that he adapted his advice on these occasions to the condi- 
tion of the persons addressed. But now he has a different 
case before him. Did he tell this man to believe ? No, 
he did believe. Did he tell him to repent of all his former 
sins ? No ; this he had done. Did he command him to be 
oaptized ? No ; this he had done once ; and, according to 
the gospel, there is but one baptism. This man had become 
a constitutional citizen of the kingdom of Christ ; and 
therefore, notwithstanding he had forfeited the privileges 
of this kingdom by sin, it was not necessary for him to 
take the oath of allegiance again. Let us then hear the 
direction of the apostle on the subject. 



what shall i do ? 315 

" Bepent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray 
to God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may 
BE forgiven thee." Here then is the proper answer to 
be given to a citizen of the kingdom of Christ who has 
fallen into sin. This is the law of pardon for the disciples 
of Christ who have been formally inducted into the family 
of God. This case is a full answer to those who ask, if 
baptism is for remission of sin, must not Christians be bap- 
tized every time they are overtaken in a fault? To this 
instruction may be added the words of the apostle, " If we " 
(Christians) " confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness." 1 John i, 9. 

5. I can think of but one case more that can possibly be 
found; one other character, who may propound the ques- 
tion, "what shall I do to be saved?" The pious Christian, 
" whose sins are forgiven, and w T hose iniquities are covered," 
may often ask this question, in reference to his duty. 
Cases often occur in which the best of men are at a loss to 
know what duty requires. This is only in cases of expe- 
diency, however. So far as the general life of the Chris- 
tian is concerned, he is thoroughly furnished in the perfect 
law of liberty, with all necessary instruction. Still, cases 
often present themselves where duty is not so clear, and 
hence the question may be asked in such cases, " what shall 
I do?" 

My answer, in all such cases, is, be honest before God ; 
consider the case in all its bearings ; submit all your w r ays 
to God, and do that which you honestly think will best 
secure the glory of God, the peace and harmony of the 
church, and promote the salvation of sinners. The man 
who lives a pious and prayerful life, studies the word of 
God much, and then pursues the above described course, 
will not be apt to miss the line of duty often. But if 



316 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

he should not always do the very best that might have 
been done, he will have a good conscience, and can com- 
fort himself with the reflection that it was an error of 
the head — not of the heart. 

But, should the Christian ask this question in reference 
to his eternal salvation, " What shall I do to get to heaven 
at last?" Then the following answer would be applicable : 
" Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling ; 
for it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do 
of his good pleasure." Phil, ii, 12, 13. "Be ye steadfast, 
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for- 
asmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the 
Lord." 1 Cor. xv, 58. " And besides this, giving all dili- 
gence, add to your faith virtue (or courage), and to courage, 
knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temper- 
ance, patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to godliness 
brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity." 
" For he that lacketh these things is blind, and can not see 
afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old 
sins. Wherefore, the rather, brethren, give diligence to 
make your calling and election sure ; for if you do these 
things you shall never fall ; for so an entrance shall be 
ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting king- 
dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Pet. i. 

Indeed, the whole matter is embodied in few words, in 
the very conclusion of God's divine revelations to man : 
" Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they 
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through 
the gates into the city." Bev. xxii, 14. 

Thus, reader, I have endeavored to answer the question, 
"What shall I do?" when asked by persons in every condi- 
tion that I can imagine ; and in doing this, I have pointed 
out the road from every man's door, to the everlasting 
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 



WHAT SHALL I DO? 317 

Eeader, what ground do you occupy ? Examine your- 
self — acquaint yourself with your real condition before the 
Heavenly Father; let the question, " Good Master, what 
shall I do to inherit eternal liee ?" sink deep into your 
heart ; and take the advice given to persons occupying the 
same position to God's moral government which you occu- 
py ; and be faithful unto death, and Jesus says you shall 
have a crown of life. 



SEBMON XII. 

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs 
of salvation. Heb. i, 14. 

One object the apostle had in presenting the facts which 
are mentioned in this connection, was to show the superior- 
ity of the gospel of Christ to the law of Moses. The Jews 
considered the law the most glorious institution in the world, 
and therefore they were unwilling to lay it aside and em- 
brace the gospel. They had certain arguments by which 
they defended the honor and dignity of that law, in doing 
which they attempted to justify themselves in not receiving 
the gospel, and trusting in Christ for salvation. Among 
these arguments was the fact that, in the law, God had 
spoken by the most worthy and gifted men that ever lived, 
even by men endowed with prophetic wisdom. 

The apostle does not deny this. Still he affirms that 
" God, who, at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake 
in times past to the fathers, by the prophets, hath in these 
last days spoken to us by his Son," thus indicating that the 
character of him by whom God speaks in the gospel, is as 
far superior to those by whom he spake in the law, as the 
Son of the invisible Jehovah is superior to the sons of men, 
and that, therefore, the gospel is as much above the law as 
God's Son is above the prophets. But to exalt the giver 
(318) 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 319 

of the gospel in their ininds to his proper 'dignity, he says 
of him : " Who, being the brightness of the Father's glory, 
and the express image of his person, and upholding all 
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself 
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty 
on high." 

But the Jew would reply, God not only spake in the law 
by the prophets, but angels, or celestial messengers, were 
employed in giving that institution — that they " received 
the law by the disposition of angels," Acts vii, 53. 

To this the apostle makes no objection, but declares that 
Christ is so much better than the angels, that " He hath, 
by inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they," 
and that when God brought his first begotten into the 
world, he commanded all the angels to worship him. Verses 
4-6. If then the law was glorious because it was given by 
a disposition of angels, or was handed down through ranks 
of angels properly disposed, how much more glorious must 
the gospel be, when these very angels are commanded to 
fall down and worship the Divine Personage by whom the 
gospel was given ? 

But, while the apostle is arguing the superiority of Christ 
to the most exalted angel that shines in superior excellency 
before the throne of God, he propounded the question con- 
tained in our text: "Are they not all ministering spirits 
sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of sal- 
vation ?" 

We are not to suppose, because Paul presents this matter 
in the form of a question, that he had any doubt as to the 
truth of the fact referred to — that angels minister to 
salvation's heirs. He often adopts the interrogative form 
when speaking of things about which there was no room for 
doubts. To the Corinthians he said: "Am I not an apos- 
tle ? Am I not free ? Have I not seen Jesus Christ, our 



320 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Lord? Are not' ye my work in the Lord?" 1 Cor. ix, 1. 
Now, did Paul doubt his own apostleship ? Or, did he doubt 
that he had seen the Lord Jesus ? Surely not. He adopts 
the interrogative form in reference to the most indisputable 
facts, as the most forcible manner of expressing them. 

Thus he propounds the question in reference to the min- 
istry of angels, as a fact about which there was no doubt, 
or dispute — as if all who believed in the existence of angels 
at all, believed that these celestial beings minister to the 
heirs of salvation. He does not argue this point; he 
adduces no proof to sustain the proposition. He simply 
announces the truth, without debate, that " they are all 
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them, who 
shall be heirs of salvation." As if he had said, This is 
a fact you all believe, and about which there is no con- 
troversy. 

Without proposing any particular order to be observed in 
the further investigation of this subject, I will make a 
remark : 

I. In reference to the nature of angels. 

The term angel is an official and not a generic term ; it 
is translated from angelos, which means, one sent — a mes- 
senger. Hence, it implies office, without defining the nature 
of the officer. Angels may be mortal or immortal — they 
may be celestial, terrestrial, or infernal — they may be sent 
by the Almighty, by men, or by the Prince of Darkness — 
they may be sent from heaven, from earth, or from hell. 

But those mentioned in our text are all celestial in their 
nature and office. They are spiritual, immortal beings, and 
therefore are not operated on by physical laws. The laws 
which govern matter have no influence upon them, as we 
shall presently see. While contrasting the angels spoken 
of in this connection, with him by whom God speaks in the 
gospel, Paul says, God " maketh his angels spirits, and his 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 321 

ministers a flame of fire." This is the highest appellation 
he has ever given to these heavenly messengers ; they are 
spirits, and they have been seen in flaming fire. (See Ex., 
iii, 2). 

We have but a poor idea of spirits ; we do not understand 
our own spirits, much less beings that are spirit, and spirit 
only. We can not perceive them ; they are not visible to 
human vision. True, angels have been seen by men in the 
flesh, but this was by miraculous, not natural power. I con- 
tend that in every case where these celestial messengers have 
been seen by mortal eyes, a miracle was performed. 

Some have supposed, that because angels have been seen, 
therefore their bodies are composed of matter ; very etherial 
and uncorruptible matter. They thus conclude, because 
they seem to think that spirits can not have a bodily form. 
Indeed, when they attempt to explain spirit, they make it as 
near nothing as you can possibly imagine. I see no good 
reason why spirits may not have a bodily shape, and still be 
pure spirit. Paul seems to teach this idea when he says, 
speaking of the resurrection of the body : "It is sown a 
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a 
natural body, and there is a spiritual body," 1 Cor. xv, 44. 
Such are the bodies of those celestial beings spoken of in 
our text ; and hence they may be around and about us, and 
we perceive them not ; they may mingle in our assemblies, 
but our eyes do not behold them. But when this mortal 
shall have put on immortality, I presume they w T ill be visible 
to the glorified saints ; then may saints and angels associate, 
and hold sweet converse together. 

II. As a second fact, connected with these ministering 
spirits, let us notice the great velocity with which they can 
transport themselves from one part of this vast universe to 
another. And in this circumstance, will be seen the fact to 



322 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

which I referred when I said, these angels are not governed 
by the laws which govern matter. 

We have one example illustrating the point now be- 
fore us, in the case of the destroying angel which went 
throughout the whole length and breadth of the land of 
Egypt, visiting every family residence throughout the 
whole realm, in a part of one night. With what immense 
speed must this messenger of death have passed from 
house to house, and from city to city, during that piece of a 
night. 

But the most striking example illustrative of this point, 
which I now remember, will be found in the ninth chapter 
of Daniel. In this chapter we have an account of a very 
interesting confession and prayer, poured forth from the 
inspired heart of this prophet of God, in behalf of Israel, 
at the close of which the prophet says : " While I was speak- 
ing and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my 
people, Israel, and presenting my supplication before the 
Lord my God, for the mountain of my God ; yea, while I 
was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had 
seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly 
swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation/' 
Dan. ix, 20, 21. 

Now, that there is a place somewhere in the vast do- 
minions of the Almighty, called the heaven of heavens, the 
holy place made without hands, where God's glory dwells 
essentially, all believe who admit the truth of revelation at 
all. Into this most holy place it was that Christ, the great 
High Priest of the Christian profession, " entered with his 
own blood, there to appear in the presence of God for us." 
How far this holy, happy place may be from the globe which 
we inhabit, we know not. It may be, and no doubt is far 
beyond the most distant fixed star that has ever yet been 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 323 

discovered by the most powerful telescope. I presume that 
we sing the truth when we say : 

" 'Tis far beyond the stars and sun, 
That blissful heaven above, 
Where we may dwell when time is done, 
By serving God in love." 

Now, suppose it is ninety-five millions of miles to our sun, 
then suppose the most distant fixed star, seen only by the 
largest telescopic glasses, to be a sun, equal in magnitude 
and splendor to our sun, how far must it be to that star 
which is only perceived by the most powerfully magnifying, 
lenses ? And then suppose the Palace Royal of the universe, 
the supposed center of all the systems of worlds that float 
in the immensity of space, is far beyond that star, how far 
must it be ? It is beyond all human conception ; we have 
no rules of measurement with which the distance can be 
computed. 

Now it seems that when Daniel commenced this prayer, 
this angel was at that point, in the immediate presence of 
the great God. How long the prophet prayed we are not told, 
but from the account given we would not suppose it occupied 
more than an hour. While he was praying God saw him ; 
God heard the voice of his supplications, and said to this 
attendant angel, Go, "fly swiftly" to that little globe which 
was fitted up for the abode of man ; go to the city of Baby- 
lon, near the great river Euphrates, and on its banks you will 
find my servant Daniel praying ; go to him before he con- 
cludes this supplication, and reveal to him the important 
message which I now commit to your charge. In obedience 
to this command, Gabriel commences his long, long journey, 
and passing worlds and suns, and multiplied systems of 
worlds, he comes to the prophet of God, and ere his prayer 
was concluded, he stood by his side and laid his hand upon 



THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

him. The flight of this angel must have far exceeded 
that of the destroying angel which we have already no- 
ticed. 

Such, Christian reader, is the character of these minis- 
tering angels that minister for the heirs of salvation. Is 
it not a joyful thought that these swift-winged messengers 
of the skies are all ministering spirits, sent forth on 
errands of mercy in behalf of salvation's heirs. Well may 



" How cheering the thought, that the spirits of bliss 

Will bow their bright wings to a world such as this — 
Will leave the sweet joys of the mansions above, 
To breathe in our bosom some message of love." 

III. As a third thought in reference to the angels of hea- 
ven, let us consider their number. Their precise number 
is not given in the Bible, but that it is very great many 
scriptures plainly indicate. 

1. When the angel that brought the news of Messiah's 
birth to the shepherds, made the glorious announcement, 
"suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the 
heavenly hosts, praising God." Luke ii, 13. The term 
multitude is indefinite, but it always implies a very great 
number. 

2. When Christ was about to yield himself into the hands 
of his enemies, he said, " Thinkest thou that I can not pray 
to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than 
twelve legions of angels ?" Webster defines the term 
legion to mean "A Roman military force, consisting of dif- 
ferent numbers of men, at different periods, from three to 
five thousand." Some say a full Eoman legion numbered 
six thousand. If then, by a legion, the Saviour meant five 
thousand, which is very probable, as he spake under the 
Roman government, and in the presence of Roman soldiers, 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 325 

the number here indicated would be sixty thousand — or, 
according to some, seventy-two thousand ! What a thought ! 
that through prayer offered by the Son of God to his Hea- 
venly Father, at this trying moment, he could have secured 
the assistance of sixty thousand angels ! — nay, more than 
this, for Jesus said, "more than twelve legions of angels" 

3. But again : when Daniel saw, in prophetic vision, the 
winding up of all our mortal affairs, when the judgment 
was set and the books were opened, he says, " thousand 
thousands ministered unto him." Daniel vii, 10. Those 
who shall minister to the Judge on that dreadful occasion, 
are doubtless these heavenly messengers, for the Lord said 
he would ' ' send his angels, with a great sound of a trum- 
pet ; and they shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt, xxiv, 
31. Now, if by thousands, only two thousand be meant, 
which is the lowest number we can take to have a plurality 
of thousands, the number here intimated would be two 
millions. But we have just as good reason to suppose that 
by the plural thousands, ten thousand is meant. This 
would make the number here indicated ten millions. In- 
deed, we may consider the number even greater than this, 
without doing any violence to the scripture under consider- 
ation. O, what multitudes " wait on the Lord, hearkening 
to the word of his mouth." 

4. But in conclusion on this point, Paul, speaking of the 
high honors which belong to those who have become the 
people of God according to the New Covenant, says, they 
" have come to an innumerable company of angels." Heb. 
xii, 22. This puts the number beyond all human compu- 
tation. And to this innumerable company of angels, the 
apostle declares that Christians have come. They are 
brought into fellowship with these unnumbered hosts of 
angelic spirits, all of whom minister to the children of the 



326 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Lord, the heirs of gospel salvation. O, what a pleasing 
association of thoughts cluster around this Bible truth, when 
contemplated by the pious mind. 0, who would not be a 
Christian, and thus secure the guardian care of these in- 
numerable hosts of ministering spirits, that wait on the 
heirs of salvation ? 

IV. The fourth particular pertaining to angels, that I will 
notice is, their power. This they have often manifested by 
exerting upon animate and inanimate matter. David said, 
"Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that 
do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his 
mouth." Ps. ciii, 20. When David says that angels excel 
in strength, I suppose he contrasts the strength of angels 
with that of men, and thus affirms that angels are stronger 
than men — that they excel in strength the most powerful 
of our fallen race. Let us notice a few examples of angelic 
power. 

1. In the twelfth chapter of the Acts of Apostles we have 
an account of the imprisonment of Peter, and of his deliv- 
erance by an angel. 

Herod, having killed James, the brother of John, and 
perceiving that this rash act pleased the Jews, "he pro- 
ceeded further to take Peter also. ° ° ° And 
when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and 
delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, 
intending, after Easter, to bring him forth to the people. 
Peter, therefore, was kept in prison ; but prayer was made 
without ceasing of the church unto God for him." What 
an example of Christian piety and devotion, and of broth- 
erly love and affection, is here presented ! and how worthy 
it is of imitation by all the disciples of Christ, in every 
trying hour ! There seem to have been no uninterested 
members of the church on this occasion. Prayer was made 
without ceasing by the church — not a part of the church; 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 327 

and the prayer was incessant. These were more than mere 
forms of prayer. They were effectual, fervent prayers, 
which God has promised to hear, assuring us that such 
prayers avail much. 

These prayers, embalmed by the tears of humble, weep- 
ing disciples, came up like holy incense before the Lord, 
and, in answer thereunto, on the same night on which 
Herod intended to bring this servant of the Most High 
God forth to be punished, the Lord sent one of these min- 
istering spirits as a messenger of mercy to his imprisoned 
apostle ; and while he was sleeping between two soldiers, 
bound with two chains, and while the keepers were standing 
before the prison, guarding the entrance, " the angel of the 
Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison, and 
he smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise 
up, quickly ; and his chains fell off from his hands. And 
the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy 
sandals ; and so he did. And he said unto him, Cast thy 
garments about thee, and follow me." This whole event 
was so strange and so sudden, that Peter, just aroused out 
of deep sleep, supposed it was only a vision ; but still he 
followed the angel, until, having " passed the first and sec- 
ond ward, they came to the iron gate that leadeth into the 
city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went 
out and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the 
angel departed from him." 

Thus we see that by the mighty arm of one of these 
celestial messengers was this witness of Christ delivered 
out of the hands of his enemies. By his powerful but 
invisible touch, the iron gate, which is said to have been 
so large that it required twelve men to open it, was thrown 
open wide to admit the apostle to go free. With joy, he 
hastened " to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, 



328 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

where many were gathered together, praying." What joy 
must have filled the pious hearts of these weeping disciples 
when they received their beloved apostle safe and sound, 
and heard him declare " how the Lord had delivered him 
out of prison ; ,; and well may there have been " no small 
stir among the soldiers to know what had become of 
Peter ! " 

2. As a second example of angelic power, I refer to the 
work of death performed by one angel in a few hours upon 
the first-born of Egypt. The facts in this case teach us 
that angels are not omniscient — for, notwithstanding this 
angel knew the first-born in every family into which he 
entered, yet when he stood without, at the door of a human 
habitation, he did not know whether the inmates were 
Egyptians or Hebrews. Therefore the Lord directed the 
Israelites to sprinkle blood upon the lintels and door-posts 
of all their houses, and, doubtless, when the God of the 
Hebrews sent forth this messenger of death, he gave him 
special directions not to touch one person found within a 
blood-sprinkled habitation. 

But the point in this example to which I invite special 
attention is, the amount of this work of death that was 
performed by one angel in so short a time. About mid- 
night the destroying angel went forth, and long before the 
dawn of day he had quenched the vital spark of the first-born 
of every Egyptian family throughout the whole dominions 
of the mighty Pharaoh. The sacred historian testifies that 
at midnight the Lord smote the first born in the land of 
Egypt, " from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on the 
throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was in the 
dungeon, and all the first-born of cattle." And is it so 
that not only this angel, but all the angels, are minister- 
ing spirits, ever exerting their power in behalf of those 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 329 

who shall be heirs of salvation ! Bless the Lord, Oh, my 
soul, for all his kindness to the children of men who seek 
salvation through the blood of the cross. 

3. We have an account of another example of angelic 
power in connection with the resurrection of Christ. When 
the Marys came early to the sepulcher to embalm the body 
of Jesus, they were anxious to know who should roll away 
the stone which was placed at the door of the tomb, "for it 
tvas very great." "And they said among themselves, Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepul- 
cher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone 
was rolled away ; for the angel of the Lord descended from 
heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door 
and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and 
his raiment white as snow ; and for fear of him the soldiers 
did shake and became as dead men." Matt, xxviii, 1, 2, 3. 
Then it was that God so frustrated the dark purposes of 
those who " took counsel together against the Lord, and 
against his anointed, that he that sitteth in the heavens 
laughed, the Lord had them in derision." See Ps. ii, 1, 
2, 3. If ever the angels of God laughed at the folly of 
man, this was the time. To see these hardy Eoman sol- 
diers, who had resolved to retain the body of Jesus in the 
tomb, in despite of all earthly power, and in defiance of 
the God whom the Jews worshiped — fainting away, and 
lying as dead men all around the tomb of Joseph, at the 
visible appearance of one of these ministering spirits — was 
enough to throw the smile of contempt over the counte- 
nances of all the heavenly hosts. Well may the sweet 
singer of Israel say, " Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that 
excel in strength." 

4. The fourth example exhibiting the power of angels, 
to which I will refer, is recorded in the thirty-second 
chapter of 2 Chronicles. At this time Hezekiah, the good 

28 



330 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

king, reigned in Judah. " And Sennacherib, king of As- 
syria, came and entered into Judah, and encamped against 
the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. 
$ & o ^d w hen Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was 
come, and that he was proposed to fight against Jerusalem, 
o & h e se t captains of w T ar over the people, and gathered 
them together unto him in the streets of the city, and 
spake comfortably unto them, saying, Be strong and cour- 
ageous, he not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria; 
° tt with him is an arm of flesh ; but with us is the 
Lord God to fight our battles." 

" After this did Sennacherib, king of Assyria, send his 
servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege to La- 
chish, and all his power with him), unto Hezekiah, king of 
Judah, and unto all Judah that was in Jerusalem, saying, 
Thus saith Sennacherib, king of Assyria, Whereon do you 
trust, that you abide in the siege in Jerusalem ? Doth nob 
Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by 
famine and by thirst, saying, the Lord our God shall de- 
liver us out of the hands of the king of Assyria ? ° ° 
Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the 
people of other lands ? Were the gods of those lands any 
ways able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who 
was there, among all the gods of those nations that my 
fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out 
of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you 
out of my hand ? Now, therefore, let not Hezekiah de- 
ceive you, nor persuade you on this manner ; neither yet 
believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able 
to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand 
of my fathers. How much less shall your God deliver you 
out of my hands?" 

While this proud monarch, surrounded by the mighty 
hosts of Assyria, was thus defying the God of Abraham, 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. , 331 

Isaac, and Jacob, speaking against the God of Jerusalem, 
as against the gods of other nations, which were made by 
men's hands, " Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah, 
the son of Amos, prayed, and cried to heaven ; and the 
Lord sent an angel, tuhich cut off all the mighty men of 
valor, and the leaders, and the captains, in the camp of the 
king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to 
his own land" 

Here is a striking proof of the power of angels, and 
that they minister to those who put their trust in the living 
God, and with honest and obedient hearts call upon his 
holy name. One angel slew all the mighty men in the 
king's army, and sent him home with shame. Such, 
Christian reader, is the mighty power of those celestial 
beings whom God has commissioned to minister to the heirs 
of gospel grace. 

5. 1 will only mention one more example of angelic 
power. In the twenty-fourth chapter of 2 Samuel, we are 
informed that the Lord determined to bring a judgment 
upon his people for their wickedness. Then " the word of 
the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 
Go and say unto David, thus saith the Lord, I offer thee 
three things ; choose thee one of them, that I may do it 
unto thee. So Gad came to David, and told him, and said 
unto him, Shall seven years' famine come unto thee in thy 
land ? or, wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, 
while they pursue thee ? or, that there be three days' pes- 
tilence in the land ? Now advise and see what answer I 
shall return unto him that sent me. 

" And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait ; let 
us fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are 
great, and let me not fall into the hands of man. 

" So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from 
the morning, even unto the time appointed ; and there 



332 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

died of the people, from Dan even to Beersheba, seventy 
thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his 
hand upon Jerusalem, to destroy it, the Lord repented him 
of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, 
It is enough ; stay now thine hand." 

Thus, by one angel, were seventy thousand persons cut 
off, perhaps in one day, for three days was the whole time 
allotted for this work of death, and it was arrested long 
ere it was completed. And let it be remembered that the 
angel made use of a pestilence, to accomplish this judgment 
of the Almighty. The people saw not this messenger of 
death. All they knew was, that some unusual malady had 
taken hold of the nation, which baffled the skill of their 
most gifted physicians, and which was very rapid in its ope- 
rations. But still, this disease was brought upon the 
nation, and directed in all its desolating ravages, by the 
invisible hand of one of those heavenly messengers, that 
wait on all who walk in the commandments and ordinances 
of the Lord, blameless. 

And may it not be the case now, that many of our great 
national calamities, which afflict our world, is the work of 
these ministering spirits " that do the commandments of 
God, hearkening to the voice of his mouth " ? How often 
do new and unheard of diseases break forth upon our race, 
like a mighty avalanche, sweeping all before it to the 
grave, when no immediate cause can be discovered ? Has 
not this been the history of the last epidemic which visited 
our country, and which still lingers about our shores, as if 
waiting to see who will recognize the hand of God in this 
affliction, and fear, and turn to the Lord? I have heard 
many causes assigned for this wonderful malady, but none 
have yet been discovered which did not exist from time im- 
memorial. It has been asserted that cholera is produced 
by the impurities of our habitations, and the uncleanness 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 333 

of our streets and alleys ; but, on examination it is found 
that as much of these impurities existed before this visita- 
tion, as at the time of its appearance. 

Others have imagined that cholera is caused by an almost 
invisible insect, which revels in the air, and being inhaled, 
affects the system in this strange and uncontrollable manner. 
But when we ask, why did not these insects exist in this 
country before the year of our Lord 1832? reason and hu- 
man philosophy are as silent as the grave ; they can not 
answer, because they know not why. The more wise plan 
is to acknowledge it, and all such visitations, to be chastise- 
ments of God, sent on us for our sins, and inflicted, it may 
be, by the same ministering angel that struck dead the first 
born of Egypt ; or, that slew the mighty men of Assyria ; 
or, that brought to the grave seventy thousand of the seed 
of Abraham, in a very few hours. And thus acknowledging 
his mercies and his judgments, we should repent of our sins, 
and turn to God, and endeavor to " serve him with reverence 
and godly fear/' 

Am I told that this fearful scourge afflicted the good and 
the bad equally ? men in the church as well as men out of 
the church ? I answer, that in all great national scourges, 
the righteous and the unrighteous generally suffer together. 
This is as it should be, for in most cases of great national 
wickedness, the sin lies at the door of the church. The 
church, which should be the salt of the earth and the light 
of the world, fails to exhibit that light so as to induce others 
to glorify our Father who is in heaven ; the salt loses its 
savour, and is therefore good for nothing but to be cast out 
and trodden under foot of men. 

Were I to search for the special sin for which this great 
scourge was sent, I would not go into the world to find it ; I 
would walk into the sanctuary of God ; into the church of 
Christ, so called. From Rev. xviii, 4, 1 conclude that if any 



334 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

one sin more than another, brought this rod of the Almighty 
upon Christianized lands, it is the sin of partyism, and sec- 
tarian strife. By Babylon, I understand confusion; and 
the great city called by that name in this connection, I un- 
derstand to be the whole world, professing the Christian 
religion, in all their divisions and sub-divisions. The voice 
from heaven, saying, " come out of her my people," is the 
voice of the Great Head of the church, calling on the good 
of all parties to come out of this state of confusion, and to 
form the one body " on the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." 
And one reason given by that warning voice, why all should 
obey is, " that ye be not partaker of her sins, and that ye 
receive not of her plagues." Who knows but that cholera 
may be one of these' very plagues, inflicted by one of those 
ministering spirits, according to the command of God ? I 
think it very probable, and would not be at all astonished 
should it be followed up by something still more appalling, 
unless the church purge herself from this heaven-dishonor- 
ing, skeptic-making, soul-ruining sin ; the sin of party strife 
and sectarianism in Christianity. 

V. My fifth remark in reference to angels is that they 
have always taken a deep interest in the affairs of man. 
We have many very interesting examples showing this fact, 
some of which we will now notice. 

1. The news of Messiah's birth was first announced to 
man, by an angel. And when this ministering spirit saw 
that the shepherds were alarmed, and " sore afraid" he 
cheered them, saying, " Fear not ; for behold, I bring you 
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people : For 
unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord." And, as if to express his con- 
cern for their happiness still more fully, he proceeded to tell 
them where this child could be found, describing its very 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 335 

raiment, so that they could not fail to find the infant 
Christ. 

2. But as soon as this announcement was made to the 
shepherds in the plains of Bethlehem, " suddenly there was 
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising 
God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, 
good will toward men," Luke ii, 10 — 14. The thought that 
caused this general burst of joy among the angelic host, 
was the goal that should result to man by the Saviour's 
birth. " Good will to man " was the very soul of their 
song. And from this we may learn that much of their 
attention to Christ was performed for the sake of man. 
They knew very well, that man had a deep interest in every 
word the blessed Saviour uttered ; in every tear he dropped ; in 
every pain he endured ; in every drop of blood he shed. Hence 
it was that when our Lord had passed that awful conflict with 
man's worst enemy, and had repelled the fell monster, " the 
angels came and ministered unto Mm" Matt, iv, 11. 

3. When Jesus prayed in the gloomy garden of Gethse- 
mane, until his sweat was as great drops of blood falling to 
the ground, " there appeared an angel unto him from heaven 
strengthening him" 

Indeed we may adopt the language of one of Zion's 
songsters, and say : 

11 Through all his travels here below, 

They did his steps attend ; 
Oft gazed, and wondered where at length, 

This scene of love would end. 
They heard him in the garden pray, 

They saw his sweat of blood ; 
They saw his tender hands and feet, 

Nailed to the cursed wood. 
They brought his chariot from the skies 

To bear him to his throne ; 
And, with a shout, exulting cried, 

The dreadful work is done." 



336 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

4. When Jesus rose from the tomb, the disciples, not 
knowing that he had risen, came very early in the morning 
for the purpose of embalming the Lord's body. But when 
they came, " they found the stone rolled away from the 
sepulchre ; and they entered in and found not the body of 
the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass as they were much 
perplexed thereabout, behold two men stood by them in 
shining garments. And as they were afraid and bowed 
down their faces to earth, they said unto them ; Why 

SEEK YE THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD ? He is not here but 

is risen. Ee m ember how he spake unto you when he was 
yet in Galilee. " Luke xxiv, 2, 6. 

This example furnishes two facts of interest. First, 
these angels show their feeling for the disciples. They 
saw these disciples seeking the body of Jesus, and when 
they could not find that precious body, they saw how they 
were perplexed and troubled ; therefore, sympathising with 
them, they became visible, and told them the joyful news 
of the Lord's resurrection. 

The second fact to which I refer, is, that these angels 
knew what Jesus had told the disciples while in Galilee. 
11 Be in ember," said they, " how he spake unto you when he 
w r as yet in Galilee, saying, the son of man must be betrayed 
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third 
day rise again." When Jesus told this to his disciples in 
Galilee, there is no account of any angels being present. 
The disciples saw them not, but still they were there ; and, 
though they were invisible to mortal eyes, they heard the 
conversation which passed between Christ and his disciples, 
and they understood it, but the disciples did not. But, as 
kind friends, they now remind them of the precious words 
which Jesus had spoken to them before his death. 

5. As a fifth example expressive of the interest which 
angels take in the welfare of man, I will refer the reader 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 337 

to the fact, that there is joy in the presence of the angels of 
God over one sinner that repenteth. ,} Luke xv, 10. 

Yes, when one poor sinner, who has lived in rebellion 
against the Lord of men and angels, sees the evil of his 
ways, reforms his life, and becomes obedient to the faith, 
the angels of God, in heaven, rejoice ; they tune their golden 
harps anew, and sound the loud note of praise to him that 
sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb. And shall not the 
church join in the general chorus of praise at the conversion 
of sinners to God ? And shall we not labor more zealously 
for their conversion, that they may be saved, that we may 
be made glad, and that the angels of heaven may rejoice. 

6. We have another interesting example illustrative of 
this point, which occurred at the ascension of Christ. He 
held his last personal interview with his disciples on the 
mount of Olives ; and while he was there giving them his 
parting advice, " he was taken up, and a cloud received him 
out of their sight." Acts i, 9. 

What a trial this must have been. These disciples had 
just passed through three clays sorrow for the death of 
their Divine Master. Oh, what days these must have been ! 
Their enemies laughing them to scorn for having followed 
an impostor, who was now crucified, dead and buried ; and 
no friend to comfort them. But Jesus had risen from 
among the dead, and thus their fears were dispelled, their 
hope returned, and they again rejoiced in him who they 
trusted would soon redeem Israel. But they did not yet 
understand the nature of his kingdom, nor the part they 
were to take in setting it up. Still, believing his reign 
would be personal, they never expected to be parted from 
him again. High must have been their expectation, when 
they said unto him, " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore 
again the kingdom to Israel ? n But, refusing a direct 
answer, he refers them to a time when all things should be 
29 



338 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

made plain to them ; and all at once, right in their sight, 
he began to ascend. What astonishment must have 
filled every heart. How intensely must they have gazed 
after him as he left our sin-stained world, and pursued his 
upward flight toward the throne of God. Well may they 
stand gazing up into the aerial heavens, long after their 
ascending Lord had disappeared beyond the rolling clouds. 
But while they stood thus gazing up in the direction their 
Lord had gone, two of these ministering spirits that formed 
his celestial escort, turning their eyes toward the point 
from which they left our earth, saw the disciples yet gazing 
after them, and, moved with compassion, they returned and 
comforted them with these blessed words : " This same 
Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come 
in like manner, as ye have seen him go up into heaven." 
Thus it is seen, that notwithstanding these ang*els were 
exulting with triumphant joy at the ascension of the Son 
of God to his native heaven, and the entire escort was 
composed of pure celestial beings, and their golden wings 
were bearing them higher, and yet higher, still, they did 
not forget the disappointed mourners they had left behind. 
Such, dear reader, is the kindness of those ministering 
spirits whom God sends forth to minister for the heirs of 
salvation. 

7. When John, the beloved apostle, " was in the isle that 
is called Patrnos, for the word of God, and for the testimony 
of Jesus Christ," an angel was sent to comfort him ; and to 
reveal to him, and through him to the seven churches in 
Asia, and through them to all the world, things that 
were yet to come. 

8. One more example under this head must suffice. 
Reader, look yonder : do you see that palace, bearing all 
the marks of wealth and luxury? See that rich man, 
clothed in purple and fine linen, promenading his gaudy 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 339 

halls ; surrounded by many courtiers, ever ready to flatter 
his vanity. His table is furnished with all that a pamp- 
ered appetite can demand. 

But what is that I hear? It sounds like the voice of 
suffering humanity. Look yonder, at that rich man's gate ; 
there lies a poor beggar, all full of putrifying sores — and 
he is dying of hunger ! Will not that rich man hear his 
groans ? Will he not have compassion upon him ? Oh, 
no ! this beggar is beneath his notice — he can not stoop so 
low as to give him a morsel of bread. 

But see ; the poor man grows more feeble. His pulse 
beats faint and few ; life is ebbing ; there , he is dead ! The 
earthly tabernacle has fallen ; but the man has walked out, 
and now, see — there are the angels of heaven all around 
him ! They have watched him in this last trying hour, and 
now they invite him to join their company, while they bear 
him to the Paradise of God. Thus do these ministering 
spirits attend the heirs of salvation through all their jour- 
neyings here below, and soothe them in the hour of death ; 
and, after death, they convey them to the land of rest — 
the saint's delight. Yes — 

" They come, on the wings of the morning, they come, 
Impatient to lead some poor wanderer home ; 
Some pilgrim to snatch from this stormy abode, 
And lay him to rest in the arms of his God." 

To me it is a pleasing reflection, that the angels of heaven 
take such an abiding interest in our present and eternal 
well-being. But what must be the feelings of these celestial 
messengers when they see a disciple of Christ violating the 
law of God ! If Paul taught the churches that their pub- 
lic assemblies should present a respectful and dignified 
appearance " because of the angels" (see 1 Cor. xi), may 
we not apply the same thought to our every day's conduct, 



340 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and say that our conversation should be as becometh the 
gospel, " because of the angels that encamp around us?" 

But angels are only ministering spirits. They are not 
mediators. ; To us there is but " one mediator — the man 
Christ Jesus." They are not objects of worship — nor are 
they to be addressed in prayer. This may be one reason 
why so few of their names are given in the Bible. Man is 
so prone to adore the creature more than the Creator — 
hence, it may have been wise in God to conceal the names 
of these celestial messengers, lest men should be led to 
worship them. We have the names of a few of these min- 
istering spirits, and to every one whose name is given have 
divine honors been paid. What multitudes of prayers and 
praises have been offered up to Michael and Gabriel by him 
whose working is after Satan, and those who regard the 
man of sin as Christ's vicegerent on earth. This is idola- 
try. Angels are not gods ; but God's ministers, who do his 
will, hearkening to the voice of his mouth. "Are they not 
all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who 
shall be heirs of salvation." 

We never shall fully know, in this life, the many bless- 
ings, spiritual and temporal, which we have enjoyed by 
these heavenly messengers. All Christians believe in the 
providence of God, and many believe in his special provi- 
dence. Have we not sufficient evidence in the Holy Scrip- 
tures to justify us in saying tliat God's providential care is 
exercised through the agency of these heavenly messengers ? 
When Daniel was cast into the lion's den, the Lord sent an 
angel to shut the lions' mouths, so they could not hurt the 
prophet of the Most High God. An angel stood by the side 
of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and quenched the 
violence of the fire, and thus saved these worshipers of the 
true God from destruction by fire. On a certain occasion, 
the Syrians resolved to destroy Elisha, the man of God, and 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 341 

disperse the hosts of Israel. Therefore their king " sent 
thither horses and chariots, and a great host, and they 
came by night, and compassed the city about." 

" When the servant of the man of God was risen early, 
and gone forth, behold a host compassed the city, both with 
horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, 
my master ! how shall we do ?" This servant seemed to think 
that they could not stand against such a mighty host. But 
" Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee open his eyes, 
that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the 
young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full 
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." By 
these celestial messengers, was the prophet preserved, and 
Israel saved. 

And may it not be the case with the people of God, even 
in these latter days, that when they see insurmountable 
difficulties before them, and scarcely know what to do, that 
if their eyes were opened, as were the eyes of Elisha's ser- 
vant, they would see multitudes of these ministering spirits 
around them, ready and able to level the mountains before 
them, and make the path of duty plain and easy. Yes, 
dear reader, they attend the Christian through all his pil- 
grimage here below. As God's commissioned messengers, 
they go before his people, travelling through this wilder- 
ness of sin, and when they come to Jordan, they smooth its 
turbid waves, and conduct the emancipated spirit to the 
Paradise of God. 

" Here stop, my soul, 

No farther seek to go ; 
What God reveals 
Is quite enough for thee to know." 

One thought more, and I will leave the subject to the 
meditations of the reader. 

These ministering spirits are sent forth to minister for 



34.2 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the heirs of salvation. And who are they ? Who shall 
inherit the salvation offered to a sinking world, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord ? Keader, attend, while an inspired 
witness of God answers this momentous question : " Though 
he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which 
he suffered ; and being made perfect, he became the author 
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. 

Then, in order to be the heirs of this great salvation, we 
must obey the Lord. This, of course applies to those who 
have hearts to understand his will, and power to obey that 
will. As to little children, the blessing of Christ rests upon 
them without an obedience which they are not able to per- 
form. But in reference to those who have hearts to under- 
stand his will, and capacities to serve God in doing good, he 
has made obedience a condition of salvation. 

Let all, then, who desire to share the guardian care of 
God, through the agency of these ministering spirits, sent 
forth to minister for the heirs of salvation, be very careful 
to render an acceptable service to the Lord, and then, when 
time has run its course, " He shall send his angels with a 

great sound OF A TRUMPET, AND THEY SHALL GATHER TO- 
GETHER HIS ELECT FROM THE EOUR WINDS, FROM ONE END OF 

Heaven to the other." For " the harvest is the end 

OF THE WORLD, AND THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS." 



SEEMON XIIL 

THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE AND THE MIND OF CHRIST. 

Forasmuch, then, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise 
with the same mind. 1 Pet. iv, 1. 

In this scripture, the apostle contemplates Christians as 
engaged in a holy war; and now, that they may gain the 
victory, he commands them to take to themselves the mind 
of Christ as an armor ; and this he enforces by the suffer- 
ings of Christ. 

Our enemies in this conflict may be summed up under 
three heads, viz : the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The 
term world may apply to the riches, honors and pleasures 
of this world ; or to those who have not become the disciples 
of Christ. The Saviour said to his followers, "Ye are not 
of the iv o rid." 

The riches of this world may we]l be called an enemy to 
the Christian, because, if they gain his affections too much, 
they will lead him to disobey that command which says : 
" Set your affections on things above, not on things on the 
earth." Col. iii, 2. The honor of this world is an enemy 
to grace, because he who is overcome by it is sure to neglect 
that " honor which comes from God only." The pleasures 
and amusements of this world may be considered as ene- 
mies to the Christian, because if they control his heart, 
they will lead him to forsake the assemblies of the saints, 



344 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

and the throne of grace, where alone he can obtain strength 
to " serve the Lord acceptably." 

Under the term flesh, we may consider all the works of 
the flesh — some of which the apostle sums up thus : "Adul- 
tery, fornication, uncieanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witch- 
craft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, 
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and 
such like." To this dark list may be added, evil surmising, 
deceit, evil speaking, back-biting, etc. These are all ene- 
mies to the Christian, because when they rule in the heart, 
they are sure to lead to the violation of some of the com- 
mands found in the perfect law of liberty. 

The Devil is always spoken of in the scriptures as an 
enemy to God, and all goodness. He superintends and 
controls in all the dominions of darkness, and hence he is 
called the prince of demons — the father of lies — and the 
accuser of the brethren. He is said to walk about like a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and Paul says, 
" We are not ignorant of his devices." 

Thus we have briefly noticed some of the evil powers 
against which we are contending in the Christian warfare. 
These must be overcome, subdued, and resisted, if we would 
gain the crown of glory, which is unfading, in heaven. 

But there is another object in this struggle for victory. 
Christians are not only to subdue and resist these evils, so 
as to secure their own salvation, but they are to make en- 
croachments on the ranks of the enemy. By precept, 
example, and religious influence, they are, as far as possi- 
ble, to put away from the circle in which they move, all 
the evil and vicious practices which prevail among the un- 
godly, and take as many prisoners of war as possible, and 
make them the willing subjects of the kingdom of Christ. 
To gain this point, the world must be taught the ways of 
righteousness — they must be gained by moral means. This 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 345 

is a war of influence, and whether the church or the world 
conquer, depends on the influence which they exert. The 
party which wields the greatest amount of influence will 
he the most successful. 

Now, that we may accomplish all the designs of our pro- 
fession, the apostle says, Arm yourselves with the mind of 
Christ. 

But what is meant by the mind of Christ ? 

Taylor, in his Concordance, gives, end, design, or inten- 
tion, as some of the meanings of the word mind. Dr. A. 
Clark comments on 1 Pet. iv, 1, thus: 

" As Christ hath suffered.'] — He is your proper pattern ; 
have the same disposition he had; the same forgiving 
spirit, with meekness, gentleness, and complete self-posses- 
sion." 

McKnight, in his notes on this scripture, says : 

" Arm yourselves with the same mind.] — Christ having 
suffered in the flesh, that is, in his embodied state, to arm 
ourselves against our persecutors with the same mind, is to 
arm ourselves with the same resolution to suffer all the 
evils to which we are exposed in the body, and particularly 
to suffer death when called by G-od to do so for our religion," 

He also renders Phil, ii, 5, thus : 

" Wherefore let this disposition be in you which was even 
in Christ." 

From these authorities, and many others which might be 
adduced, we learn that when the apostle commands us to 
to arm ourselves with the mind of Christ, he intended that 
we should have the same disposition, end, design, intention, 
resolution, and fixed purpose which actuated our Lord and 
Saviour when he tabernacled among men. 

It only remains, then, for us to consider the disposition 
and purpose of Christ, in order to understand the obligation 
laid upon us by this command. 



346 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

1. Christ possessed the mind, or disposition of condescen- 
sion. " He that was rich, for our sakes became poor, that 
we through his poverty might be rich." Of Christ the 
apostle says: " Who, being in the form of God, thought it 
not robbery to be equal with God : but made himself of no 
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, 
and was made in the likeness of men : And being found in 
fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross." Phil, ii, 6, 7, 8. 

Here we see condescension unequaled by men or angels. 
The Lord of glory condescended from the throne of the 
Universe, to the cradle, to the cross, to the grave. And all 
this for the good of others. Yea, even for the good of his 
enemies ! 

Now, if Christians would conquer the evils to which they 
are exposed, they must possess the same condescending 
mind. Paul says, " Mind not high things, but condescend 
to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits." 
Eom. xii, 16. 

2. Christ possessed the mind of humility. He was hum- 
ble in mind: he did not seek the praise of men : " he did 
not strive, nor cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be 
heard in the streets." He did not seek the society of the 
rich to the neglect of the poor. He occupied the humbler 
walks of life ; and was always ready to hear the voice of 
suffering humanity ; and to relieve the wants of the dis- 
tressed, though they were of the lower and humbler classes 
of mankind. Christians, have the same mind. 

3. Christ was disposed to do good unto oilmen, by teach- 
ing them the good and the right way ; by comforting the 
distressed, healing the sick, and pouring the oil of consola- 
tion into the broken heart. Go, Christian, and do likewise, 
so far as you have it in your power. 

4. Christ had the mind of sympathy. He wept with 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 347 

with those that wept. See yonder, in Bethany, reside two 
sisters. They have one only brother ; but the hand of afflic- 
tion is laid upon him, and he sinks in the cold arms of death, 
and is laid in the silent tomb. Jesus approaches the hum- 
ble dwelling of these disconsolate sisters ; he beholds them 
weeping, and the Jews weeping with them, and — " Jesus 
WEPT." Christians, arm yourselves with the same mind. 

5. Christ ivas disposed to honor his Father rather than 
himself. He said, "I seek not my own glory. I receive 
not honor of men. To the Jews he said, " T honor my 
Father, but you dishonor me." To his heavenly Father he 
said, " I have glorified thee upon the earth." 

That Christians may overcome all the vicious influences 
of this bewitching and fascinating w r orld, they must possess 
this same strong desire to honor God ; it must be their 
chief concern to " glorify God in their bodies and spirits, 
which are the Lord's." They must desire the honor of God 
more than the praise of men. 

6. Christ had the mind of prayer and thanksgiving. 
Often did he absent himself from the crowd, and retire 
into solitary places to pray ; and on one occasion he " con- 
tinued all night in prayer to God." Often did the feelings 
of his righteous soul break forth in praise and thanksgiv- 
ing to God. When about to raise Lazarus from the dead, 
he lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that 
thou hast heard me." Christians, seek the same mind of 
prayer and praise. 

7. Christ was long-suffering. When he was reviled, he 
reviled not again : he did not " render evil for evil, but 
contrarywise blessing." When he was abused, buffeted, 
and spit upon, he never resented it, but committed himself 
to him that judge th righteously. So should Christians do, 
if they would conquer. 

8. Christ was resigned to the will of God in all things. 



348 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

He said, " I came not to do mine own will, but the will of 
him that sent me ; my meat is to clo the will of him that 
sent me, and to finish his work." When praying in the 
dark and gloomy garden of Gethsemane, in view of the 
ignominious death of the cross, he said, " Father, if thou 
be willing, remove this cup from me ; nevertheless, not my 
will, but thine be done." Let Christians, then, be resigned 
to all the dispensations of God's providence. 

Now, while the soldiers of the cross are contending, " not 
against flesh and blood only, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this 
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," the 
apostle commands them, saying "arm yourselves WITH 
the mind that was IN Christ." Have that condescend- 
ing, humble, long-suffering, sympathizing disposition which 
characterized our Lord and Saviour. ! have that deep- 
settled purpose to honor God, and to clo his will in all 
things, which Christ possessed; and under all circumstances 
be disposed to say, not my will, but thine be done. 

Come, my Christian readers, let us examine ourselves on 
each of these points, in the fear of God. Have we the 
mind of Christ? Do we possess, in a good degree, that 
anxious desire for the glory of God, and the salvation of 
sinners, that dwelt in the bosom of our blessed Lord ? Can 
we suffer long and be kind, in imitation of Christ our pat- 
tern? Eemember, that, if we would wear the crown, we 
must conquer ; and if we would conquer, we must have the 
mind of Christ. Let no Christian say that he can not obtain 
that mind. We are commanded to have it ; and as no im- 
possibilities are required of God's people, we can arm our- 
selves with that mind. 

But in order to do this, an effort must be made. We 
never can obtain that disposition by sitting down and whin- 
ingly saying, I can't do it. To obey any command requires 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 849 

an effort ; but we are commanded to have the mind of 
Christ : then we must strive to obtain it. 

III. Having seen what is meant by the mind of Christ, 
we now proceed to point out some of the means by which 
Christians may obtain that mind. 

The apostle Peter says that the divine power has " given 
unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by 
these you might be partakers of the divine nature. " Now, 
by the divine nature, I understand the mind of Christ. He 
who has the mind of Christ, as described above, has as much 
of the divine nature as it is possible for mortal man to 
possess. This mind, or nature, then, is to be received 
through the promises given by the divine power. The 
same idea is expressed by Paul, thus : " But we all, with 
open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even 
as by the spirit of the Lord." From these scriptures, we 
see that the mind of Christ, or the moral image of the 
Lord, is to be received through the New Testament of our 
Lord and Saviour. 

But in order to receive the divine impression upon our 
hearts, which the gospel is designed to make, we must 
bring the mind and gospel in contact. By faith, we must 
let the word of God dwell in our hearts richly, or abun- 
dantly. The type never can impress its image on the 
paper, until they are brought in contact ; so the glory of 
God, as revealed in the gospel, makes no impression on the 
heart, until the heart and gospel are brought together by 
faith and prayerful meditation. The gospel is here rep- 
resented as a mirror, in which is portrayed the glory of 
the Lord, before the believer's mind, and by looking stead- 
fastly at it, it fastens its divine impression upon the be- 
holder's heart, until he is changed into the same image, 
from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. 



350 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

This view shows the importance of the following apos- 
tolic admonition : " Let the word of God dwell in you 
richly, in all wisdom. " David said, " Thy word have I hid 
in my heart, that I might not sin against thee ;" and he 
pronounced a special blessing on those who " delight in 
the law of the Lord, and meditate thereon day and night." 

Thus we see, that when David was exposed to tempta- 
tion — when he saw his spiritual enemies rallying their 
forces against him, in order that he might be able to meet 
and repel them, he hid the word of God in his heart — he 
gave it a deep place in his affections, and reflected on it 
day and night, and thus received a portion of the mind 
which indited that word, and thereby was he fully armed 
for the conflict. Christian soldier, go thou and do like- 
wise. 

To enable us to treasure up the word of God in our 
hearts, and retain it there, the good Lord has appointed 
the institutions of his house. The Lord ; s people have 
always been more steadfast in his service when the ordi- 
nances of his house were regularly attended to, than when 
they were neglected. The experience of David, recorded 
in the seventy-third Psalm, is a good lesson for us. When 
David had absented himself, for a while, from the house 
of God, he became envious at the wicked, and was ready to 
say, " Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, I have 
washed my hands in innocency ; for all the day long have 
I been plagued, and chastened every morning." Hence, 
he says, " My feet were almost gone, my steps were well nigh 
slipped." But he continues, " When I went into the sanc- 
tuary of God, then understood I their end ; surely, thou 
didst set them on slippery places ; thou castest them down 
to destruction." Thus you perceive, that while David neg- 
lected the sanctuary of God, and mingled with the ungodly, 
he began to drink into the spirit of the world, until he 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 351 

almost came to the conclusion that his religion was worth 
nothing. In this state of mind, he was poorly prepared to 
do battle for his Einff. But when he came into the sanc- 
tuary of God, how soon his mind was changed. Here the 
law was read, from which he was reminded of the end of 
the wicked ; here were seen the emblems of the divine 
presence, in the twelve loaves of shew-bread ; here was 
seen, burning upon the golden altar, sweet incense, the 
fragrance of which ascended up before the cherubims which 
overshadowed the mercy seat, where the divine shekinah 
dwelt: and while he mused, the fire burned, and the spirit 
of devotion was again kindled upon the altar of his heart, 
and he exclaimed, " My flesh and my heart faileth, but 
God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever- 
more. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is 
none upon earth that I desire besides thee. Thou shalt 
guide me by thy counsel, and afterward receive me to 
glory." Now he could say, " I had rather be a doorkeeper 
in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wicked- 
ness. Blessed are all they which dwell in thy house, for 
they will still be praising thee." 

Now the church of God is the antitype of the sanctuary 
in which David worshiped ; and hence Paul calls it " the 
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the 
ground and pillar of the truth*" Here, then, Christians are 
to come and worship, that they may obtain "grace to serve 
God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." Here the 
songs of Zion are sung, the gospel is read, prayers are 
offered up to the Lord MOST high, exhortations are given, 
and the dying love of our Lord and Saviour is commemo- 
rated in the emblematic LOAF and cup — and thus Christians 
remember him that endured such contradictions of sinners 
against himself, and neither weary nor faint in their minds. 
They are thus strengthened with might, by the spirit in 



352 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the inner man, being filled with the mind that was in 
Christ our Lord. 

IS T ow, let no one say that he can not have the mind of 
Christ, in some good degree, and thus overcome the evils 
to which he is exposed, while he neglects these means of 
grace. As well might a soldier complain of his inability 
to conquer his enemy, when the only cause of his weakness 
is that he is too lazy to eat, as for a Christian to be 
always complaining of his want of spiritual strength, while 
he neglects Bible reading and meditation, and the public 
worship of God in his spiritual house. Let all try the 
Lord's means of grace, before they complain of the Master 
for requiring more than they can perform. 

Let me say to the brethren everywhere, that there is a 
mighty struggle now in progress, between truth and error, 
vice and virtue, the church and the world, the kingdom of 
darkness and the kingdom of God's dear Son ; and we 
have taken up arms in favor of our Lord Messiah ; we 
have enlisted in bis divine cause ; and now, that we may 
gain the victory, we must have the mind of Christ — and 
that we may have that mind, these means must be 
employed. 

Let no one say the battle is over ; that there is now no 
danger. " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed 
lest he fall." Paul says, "be not high minded, but fear." 
Who that is acquainted with the present condition of the 
religious world, but must admit that the spirit of the world 
has almost triumphed over the spirit of Christianity ! 

In rolling a large stone over a steep eminence, how hard 
it is to gain the summit. Just at this point an unusual effort 
seems to be necessary, for failing here, it will begiu to 
descend toward the place from whence it was brought, and 
unless soon arrested in its downward course, it will gather 
strength as it goes, so that nothing can stand before it, till 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 353 

it reaches its former resting place. Just so with the cause 
of Christianity for which we plead. We have come to the 
summit ; to the turning point at which the future destiny 
of the cause is to he decided. It does seem to me that the 
hall of reformation has almost come to a stand ; it seems 
to be on the very pivot ; failing here will prove our ever- 
lasting ruin. 0, then, let us make one more powerful, 
united, and simultaneous effort to gain the summit. 

In all wars there have been decisive battles ; battles 
which decided the fate of both armies. Well, the decisive 
battle between the contending powers of which we now speak, 
is soon to be fought. I do believe that more depends upon 
the efforts of the brethren during the next eighteen months, 
than ever did on the same length of time through which we 
have come, and therefore I wish to sound the alarm 
throughout the camps of Israel. ° 

Eeader, I do not write merely because it is necessary to 
fill up the book ; I do feel, deeply, the importance of these 
suggestions. While we seem to have slacked our efforts, 
the enemy is busily engaged. He is surrounding our camps ; 
some foes are already among us, and if we do not fly to our 
arms soon, the day will be lost. Then let us buckle on the 
armor anew, and go into the action with fresh vigor, and 
redoubled energy, resolved on victory or death. 

Let every member of every congregation resolve before 
God, that they will not let one day pass without offering 
up a prayer to God, either in secret or in their families, in 
behalf of bleeding Zion ; that they will read and study the 
Bible more than they have ever done ; that they will labor 
more for the cause than ever ; and that they will meet 
with the Lord's people in the Lord's house, on every Lord's 
day if it is possibly in their power to attend ; and let this 

® This was written when our nation was just entering upon a great 
political canvass, but most of it is applicable at this moment. 

30 



354 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

resolution be complied with for six months, and then let 
reports he made, and I confidently believe that such glad 
" NEWS from the churches," has never yet been heard as 
would resound throughout the length and breadth of the 
land. 

Now reader, say, will you do it ? O, remember that the 
cause of God, your soul's salvation, and the salvation of your 
neighbors, and your neighbors' children demand such an 
effort of every disciple of Christ. Eemember that the voice 
of God yet says, " Woe to them that are at ease in ZionP 

May the Lord rouse us all from our slumber by his good- 
ness, before w^e are wakened by the breaking forth of his 
mighty wrath, upon a sleeping church and wicked world. 

Having noticed some of the evil powers which stand 
opposed to the saints of the Most High, and the importance 
of having the mind of Christ, in order to overcome them, as 
well as the means by which his mind is to be obtained, we 
will now consider the argument employed by the apostle 
Peter, to enforce upon us the command to arm ourselves with 
the mind of Christ. The argument is in the text: "foras- 
much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, 
arm yourselves likewise with the same mind" 

Thus you perceive that the sufferings of Christ are made 
use of as an argument to influence Christians to seek that 
mind w T hich our Lord possessed. 

Then, Christian reader, let us consider for a few moments 
the suffering scenes through which our blessed Lord has passed 
on our account. 

1. He suffered poverty, " He that was rich, for our sakes 
became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich." 
2 Cor. viii, 9. Although he possessed a glory with the 
Father before the world was, he disrobed himself of that 
glory, and stooped to our low estate, and became so poor that 
he said, " the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 355 

nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head," 
Matt, viii, 20. 

2. He suffered hunger. When in the temptation in the 
wilderness, it is said, " Jesus hungered." That he might 
be fully prepared to sympathize with suffering humanity, he 
took upon him, not the nature of angels, but the seed of 
Abraham, and thus exposed himself to all the sufferings of 
which our nature is susceptible. Who can express the pain 
of hunger? this our Lord endured. 

3. He suffered weariness. ' While traveling up and down 
upon the face of our sin-polluted earth, on errands of love 
and mercy, one of his witnesses says that he came to Jacob's 
well, and being wearied with his journey, he sat upon the 
well. John iv, 6. ! what a sight ! The Son of God, who 
once dwelt in glory inaccessible by flesh and blood, now 
almost ready to faint under the scorching rays of the mer- 
idian sun, sits himself down to rest. Christian soldier, by 
this scene would the apostle urge it upon you to arm your- 
self with the mind of Christ. 

4. He suffered persecution. He was persecuted even by 
his own countrymen. His name was cast out as evil, and all 
the stigmas, and sarcasms of a wicked world were poured 
upon him in one continual storm, while he dwelt among men. 
He suffered a kind of persecution which is of all the most 
trying. When he was doing good, and performing such acts 
of benevolence as never had been witnessed by men before, 
they imputed his good works to evil motives ; they said he 
cast out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. O, 
how trying this must have been ! Perhaps there is no per- 
secution that tries the Christian more than to have his 
motives called in question, when he is doing all he can for 
the good of man, Such trials did our Saviour endure. 

5. He suffered sorrow. The tongue of men or angels 
never can express the deep sorrows through which our 



356 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

humble Lord passed while here on earth. On that dark and 
doleful night on which he was betrayed, he came with his 
disciples " to a place called Gethsemane, and said unto them, 
sit ye here while I go yonder and pray. And he took with 
him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be 
sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, my 
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," Matt, xxvi, 
36, 37, 38. By all the anguish and deep sorrow of his 
righteous soul the apostle would enforce it upon the followers 
of our Lord and Saviour to take upon them the mind of 
Christ. 

6. He suffered the scoffs and derisions of wicked men. 
Matthew thus testifies: " Then the soldiers of the governor 
took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the 
whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him and put on 
him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of 
thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right 
hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked 
him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews," Matt, xxvii, 27, 28, 
29. Bat " when he was reviled, he reviled not again, but 
committed himself to him that judgeth rightly." 

7. He suffered buffeting and scourging. When the high 
priest decided that he was guilty of blasphemy for saying 
he was the Son of God, he said to the infuriated mob, "what 
think ye ? They answered and said, he is guilty of death. 
Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him ; and others 
smote him with the palms of their hands, saying. Prophesy 
unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee ? And they 
took the reed and smote him on the head." When Isaiah, 
the Evangelical prophet, saw, by inspiration, the sufferings 
of Christ, he said of him, " many were astonished at him. 
his visage was marred more than any man, and his form 
more than the sons of men. He is despised and rejected of 
men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief ; and we 



THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE, ETC. 357 

hid as it were our faces from him ; he was despised and we 
esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and 
carried our sorrows, yet we did not esteem him stricken, 
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our 
transgressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chas- 
tisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we 
are healed." Is. lii, 14 ; liii, 3—5. 

8. He suffered thirst. "And after this, Jesus knowing 
that all things were now accomplished, that the Scriptures 
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. " 

Dr. Clarke says : " The fatigue which he had undergone, 
the grief he had felt, the heat of the clay, and the loss of 
blood were the natural causes of this thirst." 

How painfully distressing this suffering must have been ! 
Intense thirst under ordinary circumstances is very distress- 
ing ; but when this was augmented by all the anguish of 
soul, and loss of blood, which our blessed Lord sustained, 
how immense must his suffering have been ! Christians, let 
this suffering move us to seek the mind of Christ. 

9. He suffered death. Yes, he not only died, but he 
suffered the ignominious death of the cross ! The sun refused 
to behold sufferings so great, and so shameful, and vailed 
his face in awful darkness for three long, tedious hours. 
Tlie earth felt the dreadful shock, and trembled with aston- 
ishment ; the solid rocks, as if sympathizing with the dying 
Lord, were burst asunder ; and that blue vail which had for 
ages and centuries secreted the most holy place from the 
gaze of the multitude, was rent in twain from top to bot- 
tom. "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, 
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : and having 
said thus, he gave up the spirit." 

Now by all these dreadful sufferings of the captain of our 
salvation, the apostle urges the soldiers of the cross to arm 



358 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

themselves with the mind of Christ. And can any fail to 
feel the force of this argument ? 

If the Saviour of sinners suffered all these dreadful 
afflictions on our account ; if he poured out his heart's blood 
for the purpose of establishing his kingdom in our world, 
shall not we who claim to be his friends, and who have 
espoused his cause, contend earnestly for the faith which was 
once delivered to the saints ? Shall not we be willing to 
suffer reproach for that holy cause ? ! Yes, let us fight 
the good fight of faith, that we may finally lay hold on eter- 
nal life ; and that we may overcome and sit down on his 
throne as he has overcome and sat down with his Father on 
his throne. O, let us have the mind of Christ. 



SEEMON XIV. 

THE GRACE OF GOD. 

Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which can not be moved, let us have grace 
whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. Heb. xii, 28. 

In this scripture, we are taught the interesting fact that 
the kingdom of Christ can not be moved ; that, notwith- 
standing all earthly kingdoms, principalities and dominions 
shall be hurled down to destruction, yet the kingdom of 
Christ shall stand unshaken amidst the crash of empires 
and the wreck of earthly governments. 

This being the case, the apostle exhorts the subjects of 
this kingdom to " have grace to enable them to serve God 
acceptably, with reverence and godly fear," that they may 
enjoy the holy privileges and undying benefits of this king- 
dom in this life and that which is to come. 

From the nature of this command, we draw the follow- 
ing conclusions : 

1. To enjoy an interest in the kingdom of Christ, we 
must render an acceptable service to God. 

2. That our service may be acceptable to God, it must be 
performed with reverence and godly fear. 

3. That this acceptable service can not be performed 
without God's gracious assistance. Hence, if our service is 
not acceptable to God, it is because we have not grace to 

(359) 



360 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

serve him aright, or else, having the grace, we do not use 
it in his service. 

4. That this grace may be obtained by all Christians. 
If not, then are we commanded to have that which we can 
not obtain, and thus an impossibility would be required of 
us. This would make the commandments of God grievous, 
which the apostle assures us is not the case. 

Now, the truth of the first two of the above conclusions 
is not denied by any, and when we call to remembrace what 
Christians, as individuals, and as churches, are required to 
do, the truth of the third will be admitted in a moment. 
Christians are represented as the light of the world. They 
are to be the great means, in the hands of God, of showing 
forth Christianity in all its practical bearings on human 
character. This is to be clone by living example. Eead 
Paul's praise of the church at Thessalonica : " In every 
place, your faith to God-ward is spread abroad, so that we 
need not to speak anything." Had any person in the 
bound of this church asked Paul anything about Christian 
fidelity, character, or worship, he need not say anything on 
the subject. He had only to refer him to the church. 
There he would have seen the whole will of God presented 
in a practical illustration — in a living picture that speaks 
to the heart. Thus was this church a letter of commenda- 
tion to the name and cause of Christ, known and read of all 
men. And such should every Christian congregation be, 
down to the present time. 

2. Again, Christians are called the " salt of the earth." 
This phrase may have a two-fold meaning : 

1. If there had been ten righteous persons found in the 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, God would have saved the 
cities for their sake. Then these few righteous persons 
would have been the salt of the cities — they would have 
possessed the preserving qualities which would have saved 



THE GRACE OF GOB. 361 

the cities from an overthrow by fire. The prophet says : 
" Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small 
remnant, we should have been as Sodom/ 7 etc. Is. i, 8. 
This small remnant, then, saved the nation from utter de- 
struction — they were the salt of the nation. So Christians 
are to be the salt of the earth, in this sense. I have not 
one doubt but that the whole world would have met Sodom's 
fate long ere now, had it not been for the small pittance 
of righteousness that has at all times been found upon the 
earth. 

2. In the second place, the church is to act upon the 
world as salt, in influencing them to obey the gospel, that 
they may be saved with a spiritual and an eternal salvation. 

3. In order to accomplish this glorious end, Christians 
must " abstain from wordly lusts that war against the soul. 
They must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live 
soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world." 
They must be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in 
the work of the Lord. One ungodly act, performed by 
a professed Christian, may neutralize the efforts of a 
whole church for weeks, and drown many souls in per- 
dition. 

4. Another means by which Christians are to exert the 
intended influence upon the world is, the union of Christians. 
This is of such infinite importance that I have set it down 
as a distinct item in the Christian's high calling. Christ 
said : " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also 
who shall believe on me through their word, that, they all 
may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee ; that 
they may be one in us ; that the world may believe that 
thou hast sent me/ ; John xvii, 20, 21. Unless Christians 
love one another with pure hearts, fervently, and show to 
the world that they are not strangers and foreigners, but 
that they are tellow-citizem of the same household, they 

31 



SO J THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

can not exert all that influence on the world which the Lord 
requires. 

These few remarks must suffice to direct the reader's 
mind to the great work in which he is engaged, if he has 
taken upon him the holy profession of Christianity. For 
a full understanding of his whole duty — the entire work 
he has engaged to do — I refer him to the Book of books, 
the Bible. 

Now, when we consider the evils which surround us — the 
temptations to which we are exposed — the prevalent vices 
against which we have to contend — and the rulers of the 
darkness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness in high 
places, which stand up against us, who is so ignorant as to 
venture on the holy enterprise in his own feeble strength ? 
Who does not see the truth of our third conclusion ? When 
we take a proper view of the whole subject of Christian duty 
and Christian obligation, we are ready to exclaim, " Lord, 
save, or we perish !" But in the midst of our deep anxiety, 
when despair is just about to throw her dark mantle over 
us forever, the Saviour speaks in his holy word, saying : 
" Fear not ; be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world." 
" I will be a present help in every time of need." " My 
grace shall be sufficient for you." 

The word translated grace in this verse, is charts, which 
means favor, favorable assistance, which shows that although 
we are not able to perform all the work which the Lord has 
assigned us, in our own strength., yet the Heavenly Father 
has promised all necessary aid. In view of this fact, the 
apostle says, " Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, 
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time 
of need." Heb. it, 16. 

But the question now arises, Is this grace to be obtained 
through visible means, or without means ? Is this favor- 
able aid to be communicated in some secret invisible manner, 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 363 

while we are lying still and doing nothing for the Master's 
cause ? Or, can we expect more grace when we do not use 
what we have, in the Lord's service ? Remember, the Lord 
did not give ten talents to the servant who would not occupy 
one. 

Now, we assume that the good Lord imparts his gracious 
aid through ordinances, some of which I will proceed to 
notice. And for the purpose of presenting this matter, 
with all its importance, to the reader's mind, I will contrast 
the kingdom of the ivicked one with the kingdom of God's 
dear son. That the Devil has a kingdom, will not be denied. 
Christ says : " If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against 
himself; how shall then his kingdom stand ? ;; Matt, xii, 26. 
Thus does our Lord admit that Satan has a kingdom. 

In this kingdom there are rulers ; hence the apostle 
teaches that we wrestle not against flesh and blood only, 
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers 
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness 
in high places." Eph. vi, 12. These riders are those who 
go foremost in the commission of crime. They may be 
called leaders in the practice of vice. Some such persons 
are to be found in almost every community. They are 
spoken of and looked to as those that go before and take 
tie lead in all the vices and crimes that are committed in 
tie circle where they move. Now, these rulers are those 
v\ho have the most strength to commit crime, who seem to 
1 ave least remorse of conscience, who can practice vice at 
i oon-day, in the face of the world, and even laugh at their 
cwn crimes. 

Now, I ask, how came they so? Had they always the 
Lame power to commit sin that they now possess ? Every 
person who has paid any attention to this subject an- 
swers in the negative. These " leaders of the darkness of 
this world "can now take delight in crimes that they 



364 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

would once have trembled to think of committing. They 
had not then the courage, or strength, to resist the 
dictates of an enlightened judgment, and face a Bible- 
reading community in the commission of crime. They 
were not then fit to be rulers in the kingdom of the prince 
of darkness. How, then, have they gained so much strength? 
I answer emphatically, through ordinances. Ordinances ! ! 
Are there ordinances in the kingdom of Satan? Yes, 
reader, there are, and the strength to commit sin is com- 
monly communicated through them. 

I will name some of these institutions : evil associations, 
the theater, the ball-room, the card-table, the horse-race, 
together with all the established rules on such occasions — 
the tippling-shop, the groggery, also occupies a very con- 
spicuous place among these ordinances. 

Now, take a person who is indifferent on the subject of 
vice — who is rather inclined to be moral — and let him at- 
tend these ordinances regularly, for a time, giving his 
whole heart to them, and the change for the worse will 
soon become visible. All who know him, will perceive that 
he is waxing worse and worse. In this way, he will soon 
obtain strength and unblushing fortitude sufficient to be a 
ruler in the kingdom of darkness. I may here be permit- 
ted to exhort all who wish to avoid the formation of such 
a character, never to go to these ordinances, but shun them 
as you would deadly poison. 

Suppose a person, through faith in the gospel of Christ, 
commences a life of obedience to the Lord. He confesses 
his faith in God's Son, reforms his life, and is baptized 
into the body of Christ, the church. Let him then make 
the vicious his constant companions, and let him attend 
these ordinances regularly, how long will he maintain his 
Christian character? how long will he have " grace to 
serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear"? 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 365 

He endures but for a while — and why ? Because he has 
not strength to stand up against the temptations presented. 
And why has he not strength ? Because he has not the 
grace of God helping him. And why is this so ? Because 
he has gone to the wrong place to get it. The ordinances 
which he has attended, and in which he has walked, all 
have a contrary effect, and under this influence he falls. 

Our Lord and Saviour, then, understanding what is in 
man — being well acquainted with his w T hole moral nature — 
has established ordinances in his kingdom, his immovable 
kingdom, through which to communicate grace to his fol- 
lowers, to enable them to render an acceptable service to 
God. For, as before stated, God's grace is always bestowed 
through ordinances, and never without them. And unless 
a miracle be performed for our special benefit, we never 
need expect his grace, unless we attend his ordinances. 
Such miracles are not now to be expected; hence the im- 
portance of becoming acquainted with all the ordinances 
of grace which the great head of the church has estab- 
lished for our eternal well-being, and the necessity of walk- 
ing in these ordinances, blamelessly, all our allotted time 
on earth. 

I will now point out some of these ordinances of grace, 
which belong to the kingdom of God's dear Son. 

1. Secret prayer is one of much importance. Our Lord 
says, " Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy 
door, pray to thy Father who is in secret ; and thy Father 
who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matt, vi, 6. 
This open rew r ard may consist, in part, of grace, to enable 
us to serve him before the face of all men. 

2. Family worship — consisting in Bible reading, singing, 
prayer, and teaching. This may be considered the oldest 
ordinance now standing, and all who have tried it, know 
that it is a glorious means of grace. 



366 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

3. Religious association and conversation is a powerful 
means of grace, and yet it is much neglected. Even when 
the disciples of Christ do fall into each other's company, 
how little of their time is spent in talking of Jesus — his 
death, his resurrection, his church, his cause among men. 
The world — its riches, its honors, its politics — these seem 
to fill our hearts, and therefore become the themes of our 
conversation. At a time of great apostasy among God's 
ancient, national people, " they that feared the Lord, spake 
often one to another ; and the Lord hearkened and heard 
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for 
them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his 
name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, 
in that day when I make up my jewels." Mai. iii, 16, 17. 
Now, as the Jewish kingdom was a type of the Christian 
church, many things that befel them " happened unto them 
for our ensamples," and they are written for our admoni- 
tion. If, then, it was a means of gaining the favor of 
God, under that dispensation, for the Lord's people to speak 
often one to another on things pertaining to the kingdom 
of God, how much more is this practice necessary under 
the gospel dispensation. 

4. Publicly assembling together is also an ordinance of 
grace. Hence the apostle teaches us not to " forsake the 
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some 
is." Heb. x, 25. And who can tell Hie influence of public 
meetings on any cause? Politicians have considered this, 
and have tried to bring the influence of public meetings 
to favor their respective causes. In all ages, holy convoca- 
tions have stood as a means of grace among God's people. 
It gives energy and strength to the Christian, to meet and 
greet his brethren while on the highway to glory. 

5. Heading, or hearing the ivord of God, in private, 
and especially in the assembly of the saints, is also an 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 367 

ordinance of grace. In this way, the facts, commandments 
and promises of the gospel are brought to bear directly on 
our minds, our hearts are cheered, and we are enabled to 
run with patience the race set before us, looking to Jesus, 
who is the author and finisher of the faith. 

6. Singing psalms? hymns, and spiritual songs is an- 
other ordinance in the kingdom of Christ. Paul commands 
us to teach and admonish one another by this delightful 
exercise. Col. iii, 16 ; Eph. v, 19. This, too, is an ordi- 
nance of much power. Political men have seen the power 
of song, and have therefore called on the muses to aid 
them in their mighty struggles. But their themes fall 
as for below the holy themes of Christian song, as earth is 
below the heavens. 

7. Exhorting one another is an ordinance of much im- 
portance in the church of God. The apostle commands 
attention to this means of grace, more and more, as the 
great day of the Lord approaches. How is the Christian's 
heart revived by the warm and faithful exhortations of 
those in whom he has confidence. 

8. The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of grace, of much 
importance and lasting obligation in the church of the 
living God. In this institution, the unspeakable love of 
God, as manifested in the death of our Lord and Saviour, 
is brought directly before the mind of the disciple of 
Christ, and thus he considers him that endured such con- 
tradictions of sinners against himself, until he becomes so 
strong that he neither wearies nor faints in his mind. 

These are some of the ordinances appointed by Divine 
wisdom as means through which to communicate that grace 
which we so much need. And we may suppose that it is to 
some or all of these that the apostle refers when he says, 
" Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we 



368 THE FAMILY COMPANION, 

may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." 
Heb. iv, 16. 

Now, suppose that each of these ordinances imparts an 
equal amount of grace, and we neglect one ; then we lack 
one-eighth of the grace which we might possess. Suppose 
we neglect one-half of them ; then our stock of grace is 
diminished one-half. But suppose some one of these means 
of favor imparts more grace than another, and we neglect 
that one, the loss is still the greater. 

From this general view of the subject, it is not hard to tell 
why some professed christians complain so much of their 
want of grace. How often is it the case when we talk 
with persons on the subject of christian duty, that they 
will admit all we say in reference to what ought to be done, 
but they complain of their want of strength to perform the 
work. " O, I am so weak ; my leanness, my leanness," is 
the common complaint. And this want of strength is not 
only urged as an excuse for the omission of duty, but also 
for the commission of crime. O, says the brother, when 
called upon by the elders of the church to know how he 
came to disgrace the name and cause of Christ, by acting 
so far out of the way ; O, I am so weak and liable to err. 

Now, I am inclined to think that in some instances, it is 
a crime to be weak. We are not only accountable for the 
proper use of the strength we have, but for that which we 
might have by the use of heaven's appointed means. To 
illustrate : Suppose a nobleman who has a number of hired 
servants in his employ ; he assigns to them their several 
duties for a certain day, prepares all the sustenance neces- 
sary to meet the demands of their physical nature, and 
departs on business. At evening he returns and reckons 
with them. But it is found that they have not performed a 
moiety of the work allotted for the day. Their Lord asks 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 369 

why this is so — they answer — 0, our strength failed; 
we did all we could until we became so feeble that we could 
no longer endure. On being asked the cause of this 
unusual weakness, they reply, for want of food ; when at 
the same time their Lord had prepared plenty, all spread 
out before them, and had told them on his departure, that 
it was provided for their special benefit, and that they were 
welcome to partake just as their strength required to be 
renewed ; but they had willfully refused the offered pro- 
visions. Now I ask, are not these servants just as guilty 
of sin, as if they possessed the necessary strength, and 
failed to employ it in their Lord's service ? Nay, they are 
not only guilty of a neglect of duty, but they have treated 
their Lord with contempt, and then charge their delinquency, 
indirectly, on him, thus adding iniquity to crime. They 
refused the offered strength, and then complain for the 
want of it, and make this want an excuse for disobedience. 
Now make the application. The Christian is said to be 
made free from sin, and to have become the servant of God. 
Eom. via 18. The work he is required to do, is definitely 
pointed out in the holy scriptures. The means which he 
has appointed through which to communicate the grace, or 
strength necessary to perform the work, we have already 
noticed. Now, suppose the person professing to be a ser- 
vant of God neglects these means; he but seldom prays in 
secret, and never in his family. He does not often read 
the Bible, and is but seldom found in the house of worship. 
He prefers to visit his neighbors on the Lord's day to 
assembling with the Lord's people around the Lord's Table. 
He soon begins to lack moral strength to discharge his 
Christian obligations, and now, when met by an enemy in 
the form of temptation, he is overcome. Will he now cry 
out, my weakness, my weakness ? Will he say he has 
failed for want of strength, and thus charge his crime on 



370 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the good Lord ? Let us take care how we charge God with 
withholding his gracious aid. The Lord has said " I will 
never leave nor forsake you." " I will be a present help 
in every time of need ;" " my grace shall be sufficient for 
you." But he has made his appointments when to meet us, 
saying, " where two or three are met together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them," and if we fail to meet 
the Lord's appointments, we should not complain of his 
absence. 

I have thought that some persons look upon attendance 
upon the ordinances of the Lord as being about all the 
work enjoined upon the disciples of Christ. This is a wrong 
view of the whole matter. We should look upon these 
ordinances as means of grace, and attend to them, not so 
much from the sense of duty, as from the consideration of 
the fact that through them we are to obtain strength to 
overcome the King's enemies, " and having done all, to 
STAND." We should wait on the Lord in these ordinances 
as & privilege, and rejoice that we have access to so many 
feasts in the Lord's house, by means of which we can renew 
our strength, until we can run in the discharge of duty 
without growing weary, and walk in the king's highway of 
holiness, and not faint. When we take this view of the 
subject, do we not feel like saying, with the ancient servant 
of God, " I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of 
my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness?" 

At this time there seems to be a general complaint 
among the congregation. The cause of God does not seem 
to be advancing as in former days. Eecruits are not being 
made from the enemy's ranks as rapidly as heretofore. 
What is the matter? Is the Lord's arm shortened, that it 
can not save ? Is his ear dull, that it can not hear ? No, 
verily. The Lord is the same. His mind, gospel, and 
power remain the same. The cause of the failure must be 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 371 

with us. Let all the disciples of Christ, then, into whose 
hands this little Family Companion may fall, examine them- 
selves carefully in the light of the Lord's word. Have we 
all the moral strength we formerly had? Do we exert as 
much moral influence upon the camp of the wicked as we 
once did ? If not, what shall we do ? Shall we charge 
the failure on the Lord, and say that he has withheld his 
precious aid ? And shall we, therefore, abandon the field ? 
May the Lord forbid ! Xo, brethren, let all return to the 
ordinances of the Lord's house, and to all the means of 
grace which he has ordained for our benefit, and thus, by 
waiting on the Lord, let us renew our strength, and then 
go to work like men of God, engaged in the most holy 
enterprise that ever occupied the attention of men or angels 
— the glory of God in the salvation of man. 

It does seem to me that many persons have taken a 
wrong view of the grace of God. or they would not be so 
negligent in attending the ordinances of the Lord's house. 
From the view we have now taken of the ordinances of 
grace, what shall we think of a person who professes to be 
a disciple of Christ, and belongs to the congregation of the 
saints, but who very seldom attends the house of worship ? 
Does not his conduct say that he does not feel his need of 
the grace of God? He says he intends to serve God ac- 
ceptably, but he does not attend to the ordinances through 
which the Heavenly Father has promised to communicate 
his gracious aid to enable him thus to serve the Lord. How 
strong must that individual feel who can thus depend upon 
his own strength to conquer in the Holy War ! 

But this is not the only inference drawn from this man's 
conduct. His practice says to the Lord: " 0, Lord, I do 
not need thy grace — I do not want it ; nay, Lord, I will not 
have it." Be astonished, heavens ! and let the earth 



372 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

blush, to think that a poor dying mortal should ever give 
vent to such a sentiment ! 

But perhaps the reader is ready to say, I never enter- 
tained such a blasphemous idea, Then, my brother, if you 
are guilty of the neglect of which I have spoken, your 
practice speaks a language you did not intend. But that 
your practice expresses all that I have stated, a moment's 
reflection will convince you. 

Admitting that the Lord has appointed the ordinances 
of his house as means of grace, may we not contemplate 
the God of all consolation as standing at the head of these 
institutions, saying, 0, every one that thirsteth come unto 
me and drink ; come to the ordinances intended to refresh 
your souls, and drink abundantly, that your strength may 
be increased, until you are enabled " to serve the Lord with 
reverence and godly fear." But you will not come. You 
will not attend to these means of grace. And yet you say 
you intend to live a Christian life. Is not this saying that 
you do not need the grace of God ? That you can serve 
him acceptably without his grace ? Nay, more, is it not 
saying to the Lord that you will not have his grace ? And, 
worse than all, is it not offering a direct insult to the 
Majesty of heaven and earth ? 

Christian reader, did you ever think that when you could 
attend the meetings of the brethren, and the ordinances of 
the Lord's house, and neglected to do so, that you were 
saying to the merciful Saviour that you did not desire his 
aid ? You would not treat a benevolent man thus. Let 
us, then, no longer trample upon the mercy of God, lest 
we die. 

I have known persons, and churches, to enter into cove- 
nant to do better than they had done, and yet fail to do so. 
I have known the preacher to say to the congregation : 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 373 

Now, all who are determined to live more religiously, and 
to be more entirely devoted to the service of the Lord, come 
and give me your hand. On this proposition, I have seen 
crowds come forward and give their hands, and thus, before 
heaven and earth, make a solemn vow that they would live 
more righteously. But, alas, I have seldom seen such vows 
paid. As a general thing, there has been but little im- 
provement in the moral conduct of those who thus vowed. 
Now, I ask, why is this so ? Were those who entered into 
the agreement, and failed, dishonest? I can not charge all 
that I have known to come short of such public covenants 
with hypocrisy. No, in most cases the reason of the fail- 
ure was, they went into the agreement in their own strength, 
or, having made the vow, they relied on their own strength 
to perform it. They may have sung : 

" Lord, we depend upon thy grace, 
Oh, may thy spirit be our guide/' 

Still, they neglected the only means through which that 
grace is promised, and hence, they "failed of the grace of 
Qod; n and, failing of the grace of God, they failed to per- 
form the promised service. 

Some talk of the grace of God as if they thought it was 
some kind of serial, metaphysical, incomprehensible some- 
thing, that floats in the atmosphere, and just comes down 
upon an individual as the Good Being directs, without the 
employment of any visible means whatever. Such persons 
are always talking about God's grace, but seldom feel its 
power. The apostle says : " By grace ye are saved" and 
these persons think that this saving grace is bestowed with- 
out any effort on their part to obtain it. They neglect 
almost all the ordinances of divine favor of which we have 
spoken, until they become weary, and faint, and die. 



374 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Now, I believe, most confidently, that if we are saved at 
all, it must be accomplished by grace. 

" Grace first contrived the way 
To save rebellious man ; 
And all the steps, that grace display, 
Which drew the wond'rous plan.'' 

The whole gospel scheme is but one stupendous system 
of grace — of divine favor. And the strength necessary to 
the performance of every duty which is required of the 
Christian is to be conferred as a matter of grace — of pure 
benevolence on the part of our Heavenly Benefactor. But 
this grace conies through the means already pointed out in 
this discourse. 

Then, I would advise all the members of the Church of 
God, instead of entering into public agreements to do better, 
without having any definite point before the mind, to enter 
into a solemn agreement with the Lord and one another, 
that they will give more attention to the means of grace 
than formerly ; that they will more frequently commune 
with God in secret devotion and meditation ; that those 
who are the heads of families will read God's Holy Word, 
and pray in their families daily ; and that they will attend 
the ordinances of the Lord's house as often as it is in their 
power ; that nothing that they can control shall prevent 
them from meeting with the Lord's people, in the Lord's 
house, on the Lord's day. And then let them consecrate 
the moral strength they thus obtain, to the service of God, 
with a willing heart. 

Let me ask you who are reading this discourse, have you 
not often resolved in your own mind, to do better for time to 
come, and then failed, utterly failed, to comply with your 
private determinations ? Cases of this kind are so common 



THE GRACE OF GOD. 375 

that it has been reduced to poetry, and sung as a part of 
every Christian's experience : 

" Here I repent and sin again ; 
Now I revive, and now I'm slain ; 
Slain with the same unhappy dart, 
Which, oh ! too often wounds my heart," 

has been sung over and over again, by many honest profes- 
sors of Christianity. Thus they have their UPS and downs ; 
their winters and summers ; their chills and fevers in reli 
gion. And worse than all, some charge all this fluctuation 
upon the good Lord, supposing that at one time he bestows 
his grace, and withholds it at another. 

Thus did God's ancient people once complain. But he 
responded: "0, that you had hearkened to my command- 
ments ; then had your peace been as a river, and your 
righteousness as the waves of the sea/ 7 Is. xlviii, 18. By 
neglecting the commandments and ordinances of God, they 
fell into gin ; and thus lost that peace which God alone can 
give. 

Now the same principle stands good in the gospel dispen- 
sation. Hence you will always see that when these UP and 
DOWN Christians have times of prosperity in the good cause, 
they have been more attentive to these ordinances than they 
were when passing through the gloomy seasons of which 
they complain. And you will always observe that just be- 
fore a great revival of the good work of the Lord there is a 
general returning to the ordinances of the Lord's house, on 
the part of the Lord's people. 

As a matter of encouragement to all who are engaged in 
the service of the Lord, let us hear what the Lord hath said 
by his inspired servants : " Be ye steadfast, unmovable, 
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you 
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." " Be not 



376 THE FAMILY COMPANION". 

deceived ; God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, 
shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the 
spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us 
not be weary in well doing ; for in due time we shall reap 
if we faint not." "Then shall the king say unto them on 
his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 
For I was hungry and ye gate me meat/ 7 etc. You have 
been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler 
over many things; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." 
" Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they 
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through 
the gates into the city." 

Now, in view of all the undying glories of God's eternal 
kingdom, who would not make an unwearied effort to 
" SERVE Gob acceptably with reverence and godly 

FEAR." 



SERMON XV. 

WORDS. 

For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meats. 

Job xxxiv, 3. 

I have not read this text for the purpose of writing a 
sermon on the book of Job ; or the life of Elihu, who uttered 
these words. My purpose is to make words the theme of 
this discourse, and I have only placed this scripture at the 
head of the discourse, because this term is found in it. Any 
other passage in the Bible in which the term word occurs, 
may be equally regarded as my text. 

There is nothing more common among the children of 
men than words. They are found in every man's mouth ; 
they are being continually uttered by every lady ; children 
are ever using words ; the hearts of parents are always 
rejoiced when the little prattler first begins to articulate 
words ; the first words spoken by the child in its mother's 
arms, are caught with great delight ; and O, how we hang 
upon the last words of a dying friend. Our world is full of 
words ; books are made up of words ; all our epistolary 
communications are composed of words ; the oldest and best 
book in the world is but an extensive combination of words. 
But after all, how few there are who properly consider the 
importance of words. There is perhaps nothing in all the 
market that is so common ; and that is in such everlasting 
32 <377) 



378 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

demand, that is so lightly esteemed. Indeed, it has passed 
into a proverb, that, ivords are cheap. 

From these considerations, I have concluded that words 
are of sufficient importance to make them the subject of a 
sermon in this little book of discourses. 

I. First of all, let us define the term WORD. 

1. " An articulate or vocal sound, or, a combination of 
articulate or vocal sounds, uttered by the human voice, and 
by custom expressing an idea or ideas." — Web. According 
to this definition we say that words are signs of ideas. 
They are only so, however, "by custom," or usage. Hence 
a new word communicates no idea to a person until he learns 
the idea intended to be expressed by it. Indeed this is true 
of all words. They are only the signs of ideas to those who 
understand their meaning ; that is, the idea, of which they 
are designed, according to custom, to be the signs, oc 
representative. 

On this subject the apostle says, " Except you utter by 
the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be 
known what is spoken ? for ye speak unto the air. There 
are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and 
none of them is without signification. If, therefore, I 
know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him 
that speaketh, a barbarian ; and he that speaketh shall be 
a barbarian to me." 1 Cor. xiv, 9, 10, 11. From this fact, 
Paul argues the importance of always speaking words easy 
to be understood, that by the voice, we may teach others 
also. Ver. 19. 

2. The second meaning which Webster puts upon the term 
word is, " The letter or letters, written or printed, which 
represent a sound, or a combination of sounds." Inasmuch 
as the human voice can only be heard a short distance, and 
we can only articulate one sound at once, we can only speak 
to a few persons at the same time, and they must be near 



words. 379 

us when we speak. Now, to overcome this inconvenience, 
and to enable man to speak to thousands, and tens of 
thousands of his fellow beings, scattered all over the country, 
men have agreed that certain marks, called characters, or 
letters, shall represent to the mind, through the eye, certain 
sounds ; and that certain combinations of these characters 
shall represent certain articulate sounds or words. Hence, 
when a person who understands these characters, and the 
words which they, singly or combined, are intended to re- 
present, sees these characters on paper, certain definite 
ideas are represented to his mind, though no real voice or 
sound be heard. 

This is called written language, and is the most im- 
portant invention of men, if indeed it be a human invention. 
I am inclined however, to the opinion, that as God gave 
man language, he also taught him to write ; so that the 
art of writing may be of God, and not a mere human con- 
trivance. But its importance, who can estimate ? By this 
means, man can talk with his fellow man though in far 
distant lands ; and nation can interchange thoughts with 
nation, though mighty oceans roll between. 

3. But the term word also means, "a short discourse. " 
The evangelist Luke uses it in this sense, in giving an 
account of some of the things that happened unto Paul at 
Borne, when taken thither as a prisoner for the hope of 
Israel. He sent for his Jewish brethren, and related to 
them the things for which he was brought to their city as a 
prisoner. They informed him that they had not heard any 
of these reports, and expressed a desire to hear something 
of the distinguishing peculiarities of the religious party 
with which Paul stood identified. But while he was setting 
forth their views, " some believed the things that were 
spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed 



380 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

not among themselves they departed, after that Paul had 
spoken one word" Acts xxviii, 24, 25. 

Here, the term ivord means more than one articulate 
sound. It means a short discourse, as the reader will see 
by examining the passage. Paul quoted a prophesy, and 
made an application of it. 

4. Webster gives as a fourth meaning to this term, 
" talk ; discourse. 7 ' We use the term in this sense very 
frequently. How often do we say to a friend, I want a 
word with you ? By this we mean a short conversation, 
or talk. 

5. It is also made to signify " dispute ; verbal contention." 
Hence, when persons have such a contention we say, " they 
had a few ivords, and parted." 

6. But I cannot follow this mighty Lexicographer much 
further in his definitions ; I will only name two more. 
" promise." And in this sense we often use the term. 
If we have a man's promise for any thing, we say that we 
have his ivord for it. 

7. The last meaning attached to this term that I will 
notice is, " The scriptures, divine revelation, or any part of 
it. This is called the word of God ?" and it may be added, 
the word of truth ; the word of life. 

II. Having thus defined the term word, I will now state 
that there is a very close connection existing between a 
man and his word. It is hard to separate between them. 
In a certain sense, it may be said that a man and his 
word are one. We have already seen that promise is one 
meaning of the term ivord, and who can separate between 
a man and his promise ? When a man makes you a 
promise, you say you have the man bound for the thing 
promised — or you have the man's promise, or word for it. 
Thus we use the word of the man for the man. If a man 



WORDS. 381 

denies his promise, we say he has denied himself. Of 
one known to do this, we would say, that man is not to be 
relied upon, or, that man's word is not to be relied upon. 
By these expressions we mean the same thing ; and this 
shows how near a man stands related to his word. 

When the apostle would express the immutability of the 
Lord's promise, he said, " He abide th faithful, he ban not 
deny himself." Thus he would represent God and his 
word as one — for, denying his promise, would be denying 
himself. That mysterious union which exists between the 
Father and the Son, is illustrated by the union between 
a man and his word. "In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 
John i, 1. How near and how dear must be that union ! 
If a man and his word are one, with what propriety may 
Jesus say, " I and my Father are one." As a man mani- 
fests himself, or the thoughts of his heart, in words, so, 
when " the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," it 
was said, "God was manifest in the flesh." 1 Tim. iii, 16. 
And "we have seen with our eyes, we have looked upon, 
and our hands have handled of the Word of life." 1 John 

Now, these things being so, how careful should we be 
in regard to our words. Just as men think of our words, 
they think of us. If our words are highly esteemed, we 
are highly esteemed ; but if our words are disregarded 
in community, we are disregarded. 

III. But I will now go one step farther, and say, words are 
powerful things. Yes, though words are only air in motion, 
or air manufactured into sounds, yet they exert a mighty 
influence in our world. Did you ever think, reader, that every 
word you utter produces some kind of influence upon the 
minds of those who hear it ? And though the word may 



382 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

have been pronounced in the twinkling of an eye, its influ- 
ence may remain for many long years. Yes, and although 
we may have spoken those words carelessly, and thought- 
lessly, and hence may think no more about them, in other 
minds they may long remain ; and upon the feelings of 
other persons they may still be operating. 

In view of the influence of words, Solomon says, " A 
soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up 
anger." Prov. xv, 1. How true this is. How often has it 
happened, that one man, filled with wrath, has approached 
the object of his hatred, and addressed him in an angry 
manner? But this man, being mightier than one who is 
able to take a city, because he keepeth his own spirit in 
subjection, answers his offending neighbor kindly, and 
softly ; and that soft answer is felt — it operates like throw- 
ing Water upon fire — it turns away his wrath — it quenches 
his burning anger, and the man is again in his right 
mind — he can now reason like a man. Now, this mighty 
effect was produced by words — kind, soft words. 

And the last part of this proverb is equally true — 
" grievous words stir up anger." In this way, one angry 
man will sometimes operate upon a great number of per- 
sons. It has sometimes happened in communities, there 
has been a bad state of feeling. Much hardness has ex- 
isted for a time ; but matters have been adjusted ; all 
parties seem to be satisfied, and the public mind, like the 
infant in its mother's arms, is sinking to rest, when some 
one utters " grievous words ": these words fall upon the 
ear of some interested person, and they sink down into his 
heart, and he is all on fire again ; and speaking from what 
is in his heart, he returns railing for railing ; and through 
the medium of words, the influence runs from breast to 
breast, until the peace of a whole community is spoiled, 



words. 383 

and all is strife and contention again. In this way, the 
peace of families is often very much disturbed. We find 
some families that seem always to be in a tumultuous con- 
fusion ; every thing seems to be in everlasting uproar, 
while strife and contention is the order of the family. I 
have, in my peregrinations, fallen in with some such fami- 
lies, and I have always felt like " asking leave of absence" 
in such cases. 

But the point that I wish to bring before your mind, 
dear reader, is that grievous words are the household words 
in such families. You w^ill find that such words as stir up 
wrath, are almost constantly passing from father to son, 
and from son to father ; from mother to daughter, and 
from daughter to mother ; from brother to sister, and from 
sister to brother ; and even from husband to wife, and 
from wife to husband. These grievous words stir up 
wrath, until the family is rendered a constant scene of 
strife and confusion. 

But the influence of words is not confined to families and 
neighborhoods ; it has often been felt in the church of God, 
to the great injury of the cause of Christ — to the dis- 
grace of those w T ho profess to be the followers of the 
blessed Eedeemer. 

But the influence of grievous words is not confined to 
families, neighborhoods, and churches. Whole nations and 
kingdoms have been convulsed by grievous words. The 
embattled hosts have been marshalled to the field of strife, 
and the glittering steel and the roaring cannon betoken 
the angry passions that burn in a nation's bosom — while 
the very earth is drenched w r ith rivers of human blood, 
poured out in behalf of a nation's honor. Inquire for the 
cause, and it will be found that all this war and bloodshed 
has been produced by words. How T powerful, then must 
words be. And still, it is said, that " words are cheap " ! 



384 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Contemplating the influence of words, Solomon said: 
" The words of the pure are pleasant words." Prov. xv, 26. 
These pure words proceed from pure hearts, and they have 
a purifying influence. And, O how pleasant are such 
words ! They fall softly upon the ear, and, like the morn- 
ing dew upon the drooping flower, their influence distils 
gently upon the heart, and produces the most agreeable 
emotions. 

Speaking on the same subject, the wise man says : " A 
word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of sil- 
ver." Prov. xxv, 11. Now, an apple is beautiful, but a 
golden apple is more beautiful ; but golden apples, prop- 
erly set in a silver picture, is the most beautiful. Such, 
says Solomon, is a word fitly spoken. That is, the right 
kind of a word, spoken at the right time, and in the right 
manner. All this is implied in a ivord fitly spoken. We 
may sometimes speak at the right time, but speak the 
wrong word, and thereby do harm. Or, we may speak the 
right word, but speak it at the wrong time, and thus do 
harm. Or, we may speak the right word at the right time, 
but speak it in the wrong manner, and thereby do harm. 
Hence, there are three important items that should be well 
considered, and thoroughly understood by all — namely : 
when to speak, what to speak, and how to speak. And, by 
the how to speak, I do not refer to the grammar of the sen- 
tence uttered, so much as to the spirit and expression with 
which the thing is said. But I am wandering. My sub- 
ject is ivords, and not manners. Still, I am not far from 
the subject, as the manner of saying a thing has much to 
do in giving influence to the words spoken. Some destroy 
their influence for good, by an abrupt, harsh, unfeeling 
manner of expressing themselves, even on the common 
affairs of life. 

But let us hear the wise man again, on the influence of 



words. 385 

words. He says : " The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds, 
and they go down into the innermost parts," etc. Prov. 
xviii, 8. O, how true this is ! Dr. Clark infers from the 
original, that the character here referred to is the two-faced, 
or double-tongued man — " the fair-spoken, deeply-malicious 
man, though they appear soft and gracious, are wounds 
deeply injurious." Yes, the man that takes up an evil 
report against his neighbor, and peddles it in the commu- 
nity, often pierces the deep feelings of the heart. Such 
words of slander are like the sharp arrow shot by " a certain 
man at a venture," which pierced deeply into the loins of 
Ahab, king of Israel. 0, how such words sting. Well may 
Solomon say : " The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds." 
They inflict painful wounds, which are hard to heal. Long 
standing friendships have been utterly dissolved by such 
words; while, on the other hand, angry passions, raging 
like a mighty tempest, have been hushed to silence by the 
powerful influence of words. 

The apostle James compares the influence of words to fire. 
He says : " The tongue is a little member, but boasteth 
great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire 
kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so 
is the tongue among the members that it defileth the whole 
body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set 
on fire of hell." James iii, 5, 6. But the tongue does all 
this mighty work by the use of words. The tongue would 
never revolutionize the world, and fire the course of nature 
with the fire of hell if it had no power to utter words. 

Even God's moral power is put forth in words. " Is not 
my word as a fire? saith the Lord, and as a hammer that 
breaketh the rocks in pieces ?" Jer. xxiii, 29. Hence it is 
that God has always employed w r ords for the conversion of 
sinners, and for the sanctification and encouragement of the 
saints. It is in view of this fact that the apostle said the 
33 



386 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

" gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all them that 
believe." Rom. i, 16, 

Now, when we thus contemplate the power of words, and 
remember the fact that every word we utter is likely to 
produce some kind of influence on those who hear, how 
careful should we be in regard to our words ! It is in view 
of the influence of our words that the following commands 
are given : 

" Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be 
hasty to utter anything before God ; for God is in heaven, 
and thou upon earth ; therefore let thy words be few." Ecc. 
v, 2. 

This may apply particularly to our prayers. Remem- 
bering that God is in heaven, and that we are poor, finite 
creatures, whose habitation is in the dust, we should not be 
rash when we appear before his throne of mercy in prayer. 
Our words should be few, and of an imploring character. 
We should not address the Almighty Father in the author- 
itative style of a master commanding a servant. We should 
always remember that there is a great difference between 
commanding and praying. 

But this command may also apply to our general conver- 
sation. For, though God is in heaven, and we are upon the 
earth, yet his eyes are everywhere beholding the good and 
the evil. Prov. xv, 3. He hears all our words, and marks 
their influence, and holds us accountable for all their re- 
sults. 

Paul to Timothy gave the following advice : " Shun pro- 
fane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more 
ungodliness ; and their words will eat as doth a canker." 
2 Tim. ii, 16, 17. The point in this quotation to which we 
invite special attention is the effect of the words of these 
Vain babblers. These words, says Paul, will eat as a canker. 
The word rendered canker, is gangraina, which means "a 



words. 387 

gangrene, an eating sore, ending in mortification." Such 
are the words of these vain babblers. They operate upon 
the mind and morals of community, like a running sore 
upon the physical organism. They eat out all the peace 
of society, corrupt the moral atmosphere, vitiate the spirit- 
ual appetite, and, like mortification in the natural body, 
produce death in the mystical body of Christ, the church. 
How appropriate the advice of Paul to this young man, to 
shun these vain babblers — these unholy talkers, and per- 
verse disputers — whose words have such a corroding, de- 
structive influence. And would it not be well for us all to 
lay this counsel to our hearts ? — remembering that " evil 
communications corrupt good manners/' 

To the same purpose is the following hint: " He that 
will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue 
from evil, and his lips, that they speak no guile." 1 Peter 
iii, 10. That is, if a man would show his love of life, and 
enjoy good days, happy days, days of peace and harmony, 
in the church and in the world, let him refrain his tongue 
from evil words — words that eat like gangrene — words that 
burn, that set on fire the course of nature, even with the fire 
of hell. "Well may the apostle say : " Let no corrupt com- 
munication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good 
to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the 
hearers." Eph. iv, 29. 

To the same effect is the following apostolic admonition : 
" Be ye followers of God as dear children, and walk in love, 
as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for 
us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling 
savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetous- 
ness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh 
saints ; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, 
which are not convenient (or proper), but rather giving of 
thanks." Eph. v, 1, 2, 3, L 



388 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

How often is this command trampled under foot by those 
who profess to be the followers of the Lord ! How much 
of our precious time is worse than thrown away by foolish 
talking and jesting. It would seem that the most exalted 
idea that ever enters the minds of some persons is, how 
they can say some foolish thing, to excite mirth and laugh- 
ter to the best advantage. Even some men of talents have 
consecrated all their mental powers to the vain amusement 
of a giddy world. To read their foolish anecdotes and 
crank sayings, one would think they had put their inven- 
tive faculties to the torture for the purpose of bringing out 
something novel — some new joke — in order to revive the 
organs of mirth in those who are overgorged with folly, and 
thus exite another burst of laughter. 

What must be the reflections of such persons, when they 
come to a bed of death, and there, in view of eternity, re- 
flect upon the labor and talent that they have thus squan- 
dered ! What a vast amount of good might they have 
accomplished by the proper occupancy of these talents ! 
Will not all such be declared unprofitable servants " in the 
day when God shall judge the secrets of men's hearts, by 
Jesus Christ, according to the gospel ?" 

While on this point, I wish to say a word to professed 
Christians, in reference to what are called by-words. Do 
not think this a small matter, Christian reader. My text 
is Words, and therefore my sermon should have special 
regard to words, and even to by-words. 

I have sometimes thought that some persons who have 
professed faith in Christ have been at great pains to pro- 
vide themselves with a full stock of words to take the place 
of those very hard words which they used before they em- 
braced the gospel. They will not now swear profanely, 
right square out, but they use other words as substitutes. 
They will not swear by the great Creator's name, but they 



words. 389 

will swear by some king — James, or George, or by some 
other oath. Now, the swearing man of the world says, that 
man might just as well swear as I do, for he means the same 
thing. I have often heard that remark. 

I have been utterly astonished ; my feelings have recoiled, 
and I have almost shuddered, when I have heard members 
of the church use such words. I hope the reader under- 
stands what I mean. Or must I be more particular ? Well, 
I refer to such words and expressions as the following: by 
George ; by Jolly ; by Jings ; drot it ; durn it, etc., etc. 
Now in these examples there is a direct violation of that 
command which says, " But above all things, my brethren, 
swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither 
by any other oath:" James v, 12. Som^ church members 
will even go so far as to use the name of the heavenly 
Father, and of the Divine Saviour, as mere by-words ; as 
interjections by which to express great astonishment. My 
God ; good Lord ; God bless you, etc., etc. Now all such 
exclamations are profane ; it is taking the name of God in 
vain, and they who do it shall not be guiltless, saith the 
Lord. ! how the cause of the blessed Saviour has been 
wounded and crippled by such inconsiderate disciples ! 

Speak to such persons about the impropriety of such ex- 
pressions, and they will tell you they use these words and 
phrases without thinking ! Worse and worse ! A Christian 
take the pame of the Lord in vain without thinking! 
A Christian should never speak without thinking; but 
especially should he think when he pronounces the name of 
the Holy One of Israel. 

Shall we admit the power of words ; that our words are 
always operating for good or evil, and then speak without 
thinking ! May the good Lord enable us always to think, 
before we speak. Let every member of the church adopt 
David's rule. He said : " I will take heed to my ways that 



390 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

I sin not with my tongue ; I will keep my mouth with a 
bridle while the wicked is before me," Ps. xxxix, 1. "Be- 
hold," says James, " we put bits into the horses' mouth that 
they may obey us ; and we turn about their whole body. 
Behold also the ships, which, though they be so great, and 
are driven by fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a 
very small helm, whithersoever the governor pleases," James 
iii, 3, 4. Thus should Christians govern the tongue. ; Tis 
true the tongue is a world — even a world of iniquity, which 
can not be tamed — yet it may be governed by proper atten- 
tion, and by prayerful reliance upon the grace of God. 

4. But I have one more suggestion to make in reference 
to words, and that is this : the power of a word is in its 
idea. This is true of all words, whether human or divine. 
We have seen that words are mighty things ; that they 
produce tremendous effects ; but their power is not in the 
mere articulate sound ; it is in the idea which the sound 
conveys. 

To illustrate : I may use very insulting language to a 
man, but if I speak in a language which he does not under- 
stand, he is not affected at all ; and why ? He does not get 
the idea. But let me take the same ideas and wrap them 
up in words which he does understand, and throw these 
words into his mind, and he is roused in a moment ; his pas- 
sions are all aroused ; I have set on fire the course of his 
nature, and it is set on fire of hell. You say, my words 
have thus affected the man ; but it was not the mere articu- 
late sounds that did it ; it was the idea of which these sounds 
are only the signs. 

This thought will explain much that is said about the 
moral power of God's word. It does seem to me that this 
important fact has been overlooked in the controversy about 
the influence of God's word, in the conversion of sinners. 
The word of God is called the seed of the kingdom ; this 



WORDS. 391 

seed produces the children of the kingdom. Hence, they 
are said to be " born again, not of corruptible seed, but of 
incorruptible, by the ivord of God which liveth and abideth 
forever," 1 Pet. i, 23. 

Now, when you plant a grain of corn, you say it grows 
and produces the ear, and then the full corn in the ear ; but 
it was not the bare grain that did it ; it was the germ that 
was in the grain. You only planted the grain for the sake 
of the germ, or principle of life which it contained. 

So in reference to the word of God, which is the seed of 
the kingdom. The principle of life is in the germ, and the 
ideas which are embosomed in these words, are the germ. 

The reader will find a full illustration of these ideas, what 
they are, and the influence they are designed to produce, at 
the close of the sermon on conversion, in this book, to which 
I now refer him. 

5. I will state one more fact in reference to our words, 
and then close this discourse. 

Our words will have much to do in settling our destiny, 
in the great and notable day of the Lord. Let the vain 
and thoughtless talker read the following declaration, made 
by Him whom God hath ordained to be judge of the living 
and the dead at the last day. 

" O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak 
good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the 
mouth speaketh. A good man, out of the good treasures of 
his heart, bringeth forth good things ; and an evil man, out 
of the evil treasures of his heart, bringeth forth evil things. 
But I say unto you, That every idle w r ord that men shall 
speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judg- 
ment. For, by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy 
words thou shalt be condemned," Matt, xii, 34, 35, 36, 37. 
What a solemn thought ! Well may the poet say, while 



392 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

musing upon these words of the Saviour, and the tremendous 
scenes to which he here refers : 

"And must I be to judgment brought ? 

And answer in that day ; 
For every vain and idle thought *? 

And every word I say ? 
How careful ought I then to live ! 

With what religious care, 
Who such a strict account must give. 

For my behavior here V 

Yes, dear reader, the word of the Lord being sure, we 
must give an account to the Almighty God for our very 
words. And this is no more than right, if our words are 
such powerful instruments for good or for evil. 

The power of speech ; the ability to communicate our 
thoughts to others, by the use of words, is the noblest gift 
of God to man, and it is but right that man should be held 
accountable for the use he makes of that power. Can any 
one suppose that He who made man, and gave him all the 
powers of body and mind which he possesses, has no will in 
reference to the way and manner in which these powers are 
employed ? ' Such a conclusion would be most absurd. 

If, then, the Almighty Creator has a will in reference to 
the occupancy of any of our talents or capacities, He must 
have a double regard to that power wherewith we may bless 
God, and wherewith we can curse man who is made in the 
image of God. That power by which we can still the angry 
passions of man ; sooth the broken, wounded heart ; comfort 
the mourner in the hour of deep distress ; and lead the 
wanderer to the Lamb of God, w^ho taketh away the sin of 
the world ; or, with which we can destroy the peace of 
society ; burn out the harmony of the church of God ; 
alienate old and long tried friends ; rouse the slumbering 



words. 393 

passions of the human heart ; set nation at variance with 
nation ; and even set on fire the whole course of nature 
with the very fire of hell ! I say, surely God has a double 
regard to the manner in which such powers as these are 
employed. 

But still, He would have them employed. They are given 
to he used. The Lord would not have us remain speechless. 
I have heard of some persons who were so fearful of saying 
something wrong, that they would not speak at all. This 
is only choosing one of two evils. The servant who buried 
his Lord's money in the earth, was condemned, not for using 
his Lord's money improperly, but for not using it at all. 

Then we should not bury our talents in the earth ; we 
should bring them out, develop them, and consecrate them 
all to the service of God and humanity, and thus occupy 
them faithfully until our Lord comes to reckon with his 
servants. 

May we all be prepared to hear him say, " well done good 
and faithful servants, enter tnto the joys of your Lord." 



SERMON XVI. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept ; 
for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrrection of the dead. 

1 Cor. xv, 20, 21. 

According to this scripture, our hope of a resurrection, 
and of eternal life, is based on the resurrection of Christ. 
And let it be here remembered, that the death, burial, and 
resurrection of Christ formed the theme of the preaching 
of the first proclaimers of the Christian faith. They even 
call these facts " the gospel." Hence, the doctrine of the 
resurrection of Christ is as old as Christianity. Wherever the 
Christian religion has been preached, the resurrection of 
Christ has been preached ; and wherever the Christian re- 
ligion has been believed, the resurrection of Christ has been 
believed. 

Let us then examine the character and testimony of 
those who have deposed in reference to this fact. 

And first, let us notice the witnesses who have testified 
against the resurrection of Christ. Who are they ? They 
are the same who stood around the tomb in which that body 
was lain to prevent his friends from taking it away. They, 
then, had a fair opportunity of knowing the truth on this 
subject. Well, what do they say ? " His disciples stole him 
away while we slept." Now, in weighing a man's testimony, 

(394) 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 395 

• 

we always examine the motives that may operate on his 
mind while testifying. Had these witnesses any induce- 
ments to conceal the truth, and to make a false statement? 
We affirm that they had the strongest of motives. In the 
first place, their honor as soldiers was jeopardized. It would 
have been more honorable to them to report, that, overcome 
with weariness and long watching, they had fallen asleep, 
and that the disciples took advantage of this unguarded 
hour, and stole away the body, than to admit that it was 
taken by force, or that it was removed while they were 
wide awake and all attention, and they did not prevent it. 
But on the other hand, they had the promise of money if 
they would make the report of the case which they did 
make. Now I ask, what confidence can be placed in testi- 
mony, purchased with money ? But the fact that they say 
that this theft was committed while they were asleep, 
destroys the force of their testimony with all reasonable 
persons. 

But are any ready to say that this testimony never was 
given? that this is a tale made up by Christians? Why 
then did they not deny it at the time ? And if they did 
not make this report, what report did they make ? Having 
perfect knowledge of these things, they surely would have 
made some statements concerning them ; and as this is the 
only report the world has ever heard from them, it must be 
the one they made. Eemember, too, that this is part of 
the testimony of the witness of Christ, and that it was com- 
mitted to record and published throughout that country, 
only five years after these facts are said to have occurred. 
And as they gave oral testimony, before their evidence was 
committed to writing, this account of the soldiers must 
have been published in Jerusalem, and among the very 
people who suborned the witnesses, immediately after these 
things took place. Now why did they not deny it? Is it 



396 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

reasonable to suppose that they would have suffered a report 
which involved their honor and veracity, to have been pub- 
lished throughout the inhabited earth, beginning at Jeru- 
salem, without even denying it, if they had known it to be 
false ? Surely not. 

But say that the soldiers never made this report, and 
then we have the testimony of the eye witnesses of our 
Lord and Saviour in favor of the resurrection of Christ, 
uncontradicted by any person having knowledge of these 
things. Now is it reasonable to suppose that a plain, 
sensible fact, such as the resurrection of a dead body, known 
by thousands, a fact which formed the basis of a new 
religon, which was to revolutionize the world, and destroy 
all other religions, could have been published in the face 
of the most inveterate enemies to that cause, among the 
wise and unwise, before courts, and ecclesiastical and civil 
councils, and no person deny it ! no one be found who 
could, from his own personal knowledge, meet this report 
and show its falsity, if indeed, the facts had not existed ! ! 
Most unreasonable, such a conclusion. 

But let us now inquire into the evidence which has been 
given in favor of Christ's resurrection. Two things should 
be always considered when we are called upon to decide a 
case upon given testimony ; and no person is fit to act as 
juror in any case, who does not consider these two points. 
First ; is the witness honest ? Does he believe that the 
statements he makes are true ? Second, are the facts about 
which he testifies of a plain tangible character, so that his 
senses could not have been imposed upon ? Or, are they 
of an intangible, and metaphysical nature, so that the wit- 
ness might be deceived ? In cases of this kind, a person 
may be honest, and yet give false testimony. But say the 
witness is honest, that he believes what he says ; and that 
the facts about which he testifies are of such a tangible 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 397 

character that it was impossible for him to be deceived, and 
his testimony establishes the fact beyond the possibility of 
a lingering doubt. No verdict was ever given in any court 
on better testimony. 

We inquire then, first ; were the witnesses of Christ 
honest men ? did they believe what they said ? This 
question is to be determined by the circumstances of the 
case. Did they gain the world's goods by giving this 
testimony ? If they obtained large earthly fortunes by 
testifying in favor of Christ's resurrection, this might have 
influenced them to make the statements they did, though 
they knew them to be false. But their history shows that 
this was not the case. Instead of gaining riches by their 
testimony, they lost what little they had. Did they gain 
the honors of the world by pursuing the course they did ? 
We answer they did not. They brought upon them the 
reproach of the world, and all the ignominy and sarcasm, 
which a learned, influential, haughty nation could heap 
upon them. Were they promoted to easy circumstances by 
bearing the testimony they did? if so, this might have been 
their object. But all know that this was not the case. 
Instead of this they "subjected themselves to persecutions, 
afflictions, imprisonments, stripes, bufferings, and even death 
itself, in its most horrid forms. One of these witnesses 
says, " Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save 
one, thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I 
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the 
deep ; In journeyings often, in perils of water, in perils of 
robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the 
heathens, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, 
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren ; in 
weariness and painfulness ; in watchings often, in hunger 
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." Yet, 
said he, " none of these things move me." In fact most 



338 THE FAMILY COMPANION 

of the eye and ear witnesses of our Lord sealed their tes- 
timony with their own blood. Now, I ask, what but an 
honest conviction of the truth of the facts about which they 
testified, could have influenced them to suffer thus on their 
account ? The reader will notice that we do not argue that 
their testimony is true because they suffered and died in 
defense of what they said. We know many have died for 
false religions. But we do argue from their sufferings, 
that they believed what they testified to be true. It is not 
in human nature to suffer all the afflictions, imprisonments, 
and deaths which were endured by the witnesses of our 
Lord and Saviour, for a system which they know to be 
false, and which promises them no earthly reward. 

It will not do to deny that they suffered, according to 
the New Testament account. These facts are too well 
established to admit of debate. 

The first question, then, concerning these witnesses, is 
answered — they were honest — this no man can deny. All 
the facts go to prove, beyond doubt, that they believed 
what they said. 

We now inquire, was the fact of the resurrection of 
Christ, of such a nature that they could have been de- 
ceived? We can think of but three principles upon which 
a deception could have been practiced upon them. 1. Had 
they been but partially acquainted with him before his 
death, they might have mistaken some other person for 
him. 2. Or, if he had been absent from them a long time, 
they might have forgotten his general appearance, and 
thus have been deceived. 3. Or, if they had not a fair 
opportunity of identifying him, after his professed resur- 
rection, they might have been imposed upon. If the 
person professing to be the Lord risen from the dead, had 
appeared to them in the night, or in twilight, and then 
only at a distance, their senses might have deceived them. 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 399 

Now, as to their acquaintance with him before his death, 
it was of the most intimate character. They were his con- 
stant disciples and attendants, for some three and a half 
years. His person, his walk, his voice, his eye, the color 
of his hair, his countenance — yea, the very lineaments of 
his face — were well known by these witnesses, and just as 
firmly fixed upon the tablets of their memories, as any- 
thing possibly could have been. As to the second supposi- 
tion, the time from his death until his first interview with 
these witnesses, after his resurrection, was not of sufficient 
length to have erased from their memory his general ap- 
pearance. He was crucified on Friday, according to our 
manner of computing time, and arose and appeared unto 
some of them the next Sunday. They must have remem- 
bered their beloved friend most distinctly, during that 
short period of time. We then inquire, had they a fair 
opportunity to identify him, after he rose ? Hear their 
own testimony on this subject ; and remember, that we 
have already proven, by the strongest evidence that it is in 
the power of mortal man to give, that they were honest — 
that they believed what they stated to be true. Well, they 
say, " In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn to- 
ward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and 
the other Mary, to see the sepulcher. And behold there 
was a great earthquake, for the angql of the Lord descended 
from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the 
door, and sat upon it. * ° ° And the angel 
answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye, for I know 
that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here ; 
for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the 
Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he 
is risen from the dead, and behold he goeth before you into 
Gallilee ; there shall ye see him. ° * And as they went 



400 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

to tell his disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, All 
hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and wor- 
shiped him." Matt, xxviii. Now, was it possible for these 
persons to have been deceived in these matters ? They 
well knew the sepulcher in which the Lord was laid. They 
knew all about the stone which was laid at the door. Could 
they have been made to believe that that stone, which " was 
very great," was rolled back, and that they saw a heavenly 
messenger sitting upon it, and conversed with him, when 
the stone still remained sealed at the door? But others 
of these witnesses say, that when these women reported to 
the disciples that the body of Jesus was removed from the 
tomb, " Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, 
and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together ; 
and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to 
the sepulcher. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw 
the linen clothes lying ; yet he went not in. Then cometh 
Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, 
and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was 
about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but 
wrapped together in a place by itself." John xx, 3-7. 

Now I ask in the name of reason, could they have been 
deceived in these matters ? They must have been either 
deceived or deceivers. But we have proven that they were 
honest, and therefore not capable of fabricating and pub- 
lishing such a story as we have in the last quotations from 
their testimony. It follows, then, that they must have 
seen and heard what is here stated ; and if so, the weight 
of evidence so far, is in favor of Christ's resurrection. But 
let us follow their testimony a little further. " Then the 
same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when 
the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for 
fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and 



THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 401 

saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had 
so said, he showed them his hands and his side. Then 
were the disciples glad when they had seen the Lord. Then 
said Jesus to them, again, Peace be unto you ; as my 
Father hath sent me, even so I send you/' John xx, 19, 20, 
21. This case is too plain to admit the possibility of im- 
position. They see his face and hear his voice ; they be- 
hold the w T ounds in his hands and side, and the subject of 
his address is the same that made up a part of his last 
communications to them before his passion. Compare the 
seventeenth chapter of John w T ith the last quotation. But 
Thomas, one of the eleven, is absent, and w 7 hen the disci- 
ples told him that they had seen the Lord, he said, " Except 
I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my 
finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into 
his side, I will not believe." But on the next first day of 
the week, when Thomas is assembled with the other disci- 
ples, Jesus appeared in their midst. " Then said he to 
Thomas, Keach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, 
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and 
be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and 
said unto him, My Lord and my God." From that time, 
Thomas would have died the most cruel death that could 
have been inflicted, rather than deny that Jesus was risen 
from the dead. Here imposition is out of the question. 
But add to this the fact that he associated with them, occa- 
sionally, for forty days, and talked with them about the 
kingdom of God. Had they been imposed upon, at first, 
under strong excitement, forty days was time enough for 
that excitement to subside ; and certainly, during that long 
period, they had all opportunity of detecting the imposition, 
had there been any. But in his various interviews with 
them, he talks about the kingdom of God. How familiar 
34 



1 



402 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 



this was with them. It had been the subject of his in- 
structions to them for about three and a half years, and 
now when he introduces the same subject, and talks about 
it in the same familiar style, it was well calculated to con- 
firm their faith. Eeader, have you not often met with old 
friends, whom you could not recognize until they would re- 
late some particular conversation which they had had with 
you on some very interesting subject. But a mere refer- 
ence to such a conversation would remind you of the very 
features of your friend who now stood before you. This 
advantage the witnesses under consideration enjoyed. 
There was no subject which lay so near their hearts as the 
kingdom of God ; and now, when the Saviour introduced 
that subject, they would naturally look upon him with the 
greater attention, and if there had been any imposition in 
the whole transaction, they would have detected it at 
this point. But notice — these same good honest-hearted 
witnesses proceed still further, and testify, that during his 
last interview with them, " he led them out as far as Beth- 
any, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it 
came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from 
them and carried up into heaven. And a cloud received 
him out of their sight." Luke, xxiv, 50; Acts i, 9. Can 
we suppose, that while the Lord of these disciples was 
conversing with them, and pronouncing blessings upon 
them, he made them believe that they saw him arise from 
the earth before their eyes, and that they saw him ascend- 
ing higher and higher, until he was lost from their vision 
behind the rolling clouds, when there was no reality in it ? 
Was all this a mere deception ? It can not be. They could 
not have been thus imposed upon. 

Then what is the conclusion ? Why, that Jesus did rise 
from the dead, and ascend to heaven. Yes, we are driven 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 403 

to this conclusion. Admit that these witnesses were honest 
(and this we can not deny without the most glaring pre- 
sumption), and then admit that they could not have been 
deceived in what they testified, and the point is settled 
beyond the reach of cavil. But these two points have been 
proved beyond the possibility of a lingering doubt ; hence, 
there is no escape from the plain and natural conclusion, 
that Christ did " rise from the dead the third day, accord- 
ing to the scriptures." Yes, he has torn away the strong 
bars of death, wrested the keys of death and Hades out of 
the hands of him that held them, and planted the ban- 
ners of life and immortality over the dark silence of the 
tomb. 

Here, then, we raise our Ebenezer. Here we plant our 
hope. Around the cross and tomb of Christ our hopes 
cluster ; here we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of 
God. Jesus having risen, them that sleep in Jesus will 
God bring with him. " He that raised up Jesus shall also 
quicken our mortal bodies by his spirit that dwells in us." 

Before dismissing this subject, we will take one more 
view of the circumstances connected with the first proclama- 
tion of the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. 

That Christ lived upon our earth at the time the New 
Testament says he did, we presume no one will have the 
effrontery to deny; and that he was crucified under Pontius 
Pilate, can not be disputed by any reasonable man ; and 
that his witnesses preached that he arose from the dead, 
and that they saw him ascend toward heaven, until a cloud 
received him out of their sight, but a few days after his 
death, admits of no dispute. Now that this preaching 
created no little stir among the people, is not only taught 
in the New Testament, but is perfectly reasonable, espe- 
cially when we remember that they taught this doctrine as 



404 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

the basis of a new religion, and the ground of salvation. 
All were interested in these things. The Jews saw in this 
doctrine the destruction of their religion, venerable for its 
antiquity, and honored for its rights and ceremonies ; the 
Greeks saw in it the principles which would overthrow their 
whole mythology, with all its gods and demi-gods ; the 
Christians saw in it their only hope of immortality and 
eternal life ; so that all would have watched, with a jealous 
eye, the effects and success of the preaching of those who 
said : " Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the 
first fruits of them slept? 7 These things being so, it is 
evident that the body of Christ was not in the grave when 
Peter stood up in the midst of the eleven, and, in the hear- 
ing of listening thousands in Jerusalem, said, speaking of 
Christ : " Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the 
pains of death, because it was not possible that he should 
be holden of it." 

Now, is it not reasonable to suppose that some one knew 
where that body was ? If it was taken from the tomb by 
stealth, the theft must have been committed either by his 
friends or foes, and whoever took it must have known what 
disposition had been made of it. Suppose, then, that the 
enemies of this new religion had known where that body 
was — would they not have produced it ? This would have 
been the most successful way of stopping the mouths of 
those whom they called babblers. It would have done more 
to put an end to this new superstition, as they called it, 
than all the imprisonments, stripes and deaths which they 
inflicted upon the advocates of the resurrection of Christ. 
But they did not do this, for the best of all reasons — they 
could not. Yes, reader, it is as certain as demonstration 
itself, that they did not know where that body was. 

Well, suppose, on the other hand that the friends of 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 405 

Christ had stolen away his body while the guard slept, 
would they have denied the fraud even unto death ? Surely 
not. 

Is it reasonable to suppose that Peter, who denied that 
he knew the Lord before he was crucified, when questioned 
by a timid damsel, and whose fear led him to confirm his 
denial with cursing and swearing, would have become so 
brave in a few days as to face the Jewish Sanhedrin, and 
all the Eoman governors before whom he was brought, and, 
regardless of all their threats, not only affirm that he knew 
him, but that he had seen him after he rose from the dead ! 
Can we suppose that among all who professed to have seen 
the Saviour after his resurrection, none of their hearts 
would have failed them when they saw that death was 
their inevitable portion if they did not confess the fraud ? 

Would all — old and young, male and female — have been 
so willing to suffer and die in defense of the doctrine of the 
resurrection of Christ, when they knew all the time that 
they had stolen and concealed that body away in some 
secret place ! No, verily ; some of their company, for the 
sake of their friends, for the sake of comfort and ease, for 
the sake of property, for the sake of life, surely would have 
come forward and revealed the whole truth on the subject. 
It is certain, then, that they had not concealed away that 
body for fraudulent purposes. 

If then, neither the friends nor enemies of Christ had 
that body in keeping, I ask, where was it ? The only rea- 
sonable answer that can be given to this interrogation is 
found in these words : " And when they had fulfilled all 
that was written of him, they took him down from the tree 
and laid him in a sepulcher. But God raised him from the 
dead" " And when he had spoken these things, while 
they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out 
of their sight." 



406 THE FAMILY COMPANION. 

Thus, the more we reflect upon the resurrection of Christ, 
the more firmly are we convinced of the fact that he did 
arise. The more we investigate all the circumstances of 
the case, aided by all the light of eighteen hundred years' 
experience, the more firmly is our faith in the resurrection 
of our blessed Lord established. Well may the inspired 
apostle exclaim : " Blessed be the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant 
mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead/' 



THE END. 



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